Female activist challenges Buhari, govs to consider women in political appointments

President Muhammadu Buhari and other elected state governors as well as other winners of  political offices across the country have been implored to consider appointing women into various political offices in line with the fourth world conference on the Beijing declaration.

A female activist and Executive Director of International Women Communications Center (IWCC), Hajia Limota Goroso-Giwa, who made the call while reacting to questions on a Radio Kwara personality interview programme “Playing Host”, said this would be in line with the thirty-five percent Beijing affirmative declaration.

Hajia Goroso-Giwa expressed worry that records had shown in the last four years, that only sixteen percent opportunity had been given to women to occupy political offices despite the level of their participation in political processes and electoral activities.

The activist recalled the role played by women during the just concluded elections in terms of campaigns and mobilisation and said elective positions or appointments should not be about gender but ability to perform and taking care of the interest of the citizenry.

According to her, the IWCC has been partnering with the nations electoral umpire (INEC) since 1999 but said this time around, the commission involved more civil societies which has direct link with the situation room of the commission which eventually gave the exercise more credibility.

She, however, expressed surprise that more voters came out to cast their votes during the presidential elections rather than what was witnessed during the governorship election, a development she said needed to be investigated by concerned Nigerians.

Answering another question, Hajia Goroso-Giwa disclosed that there were always violence, conflicts and complaints before, during and after elections in places where people do not have freedom to choose their own leaders and commended Kwarans for going into a peaceful electoral process in the just concluded elections.

According to her, Nigerians need leaders that will stand up for peace, justice and fairness and not those that would perpetually amass wealth at the detriment of the poor and also support all forms of electoral violence and malpractices.

She appealed to incoming or re-elected administrations to embark on an inclusive government and carry everybody along including those that lost or those in the opposition and provide the electorate with their desired needs by fulfilling their election promises where no community is left behind in terms of meaningful development.

Hajia Goroso-Giwa disagreed with the claims in some quarters that some women in politics are wayward and  described such claim as a mere blackmail to womanhood explaining that  the womenfolk are also into politics to participate in good governance and as well as take proper care of their children and wards.

According to her, a child is abused right from pregnancy when such baby is aborted even before delivery as practiced in the past in some countries of the world while general child abuse involves both the male and the female when he or she is born into poor family and made to abuse to slavery.

She therefore called on the government to take care of every child as practiced in some developed countries of the world by paying them monthly stipends stressing that with proper planning, the Nigerian government could also emulate such policies as no child was born into this world to suffer.