From Amarachi Egwu, Abakaliki
By Amarachi Egwu, Abakaliki
A nongovernmental organization known as the Women's Situation Room in Nigeria(WSRN) has called for a conducive environment for women in politics.
The group which seeks peaceful elections in Nigeria wants full participation of women and youth in politics.
Ebonyi state coordinator of the Women Situation Room Nigeria, Mrs Loriet Nwafor, disclosed this on Thursday during a dialogue meeting with stakeholders at San Dego hotels Abakaliki.
Mrs Nwafor said the program aimed to ascertain the level of women's participation in politics and the challenges facing them.
She said, "Today's program is one of the programs the women's Situation room mapped out to engage the Stakeholders in the state, to dialogue and interface with them on issues around women in politics, challenges that women in politics face.
"To know what we are doing or what has been done about it. If nothing has been done we need to know what the stakeholders are doing to ensure women are involved in politics. That they participate actively in politics.
"We had a dialogue section as you can see the police are here, the traditional rulers are here, CSOs, women representatives and others are in attendance. People like the former commissioner for women's Affairs, Mrs Margret Nworie, Nkem Chukwu are here to share their experiences because these women have vied for one position or the other but couldn't get it.
"That is why we are here to know what happened, is it still happening? Is there anything we can do to or can be done for women to get involved in politics? The dialogue is a very fruitful one because we have harvested much that we are going to work on".
One of the facilitators in the program Barrister Virginia Nweze identified the challenges facing women in politics to be a lack of funds to compete with the men folks, and derogatory words used against women participating in politics among others.
"The major fact concerning the issues we discussed on women in politics, one of the things that scare women away from politics is the money factor. We want the government to make provisions for us, to accommodate us by making the price of forms minimal for women.
"Another factor is the derogatory words used on women that participate in politics, they see women in politics as prostitutes, and it is a problem no insane woman wants to be identified as such because of politics. They should also consider their meeting time, when a meeting is fixed by midnight it is not comfortable and conducive for a married woman. Engagement of thugs in politics, women can't afford to pay thugs and all of that.
"So We are seeking help from the governments, CSOs, and agencies to help us, it is our right to participate in politics, and we should not be excluded. The constitution should factor women in, in the fight against gender violence. As it is now I don't know how many women are contesting for the National Assembly positions in Ebonyi. Those it means we don't have credible women for that position?
Also speaking, Barr Nkem Chukwu, Executive Director of an Abakaliki-based CSO and a human activist said, " I agree that there is a need to include women in governance, to include women in taking key decision-making policies that will influence positively the lives of people and develop our states, and our country rapidly.
"God has given us two hands, you can not wash one without the assistance of the other. The same thing to gender God has created two gender male and female. He used it to procreate or make society subside and be sustained. For you to say that women should not be included in governance, politics or development means that you are not agreeing with God on the coexistence of the two genders for society to grow.
"Unfortunately what he has proposed is not the reality. the reality is that women are heavily excluded when it comes to decision making right from the family, a woman is not allowed to decide on the child making not minding that she is the one to recreate the child in her body".
