By Grace Alegba/ Yemi Adeleye
Mrs Sally William-Chinebu, former South East Zonal Woman Leader, APC has advised female technocrats to sensitise grassroots electorates to resist money politics for emergence of credible leaders.
William-Chinebu, Country Director, Nigerian Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus made the call at the maiden virtual workshop of Coalition of Professional Women in Politics (COPWIP), a pressure group, in Lagos.
Speaking on the topic “Professional Women in Politics and Grassroots Mobilisation’’, the guest speaker lamented the exclusion of female professionals and people at the lower cadres in electioneering processes.
She urged COPWIP to take up the challenge of sensitising locals to end trend of vote buying by money bags who might not have the competence for right leadership.
She advised female technocrats to go into politics and introduce positive changes for Nigeria’s advancement.
William-Chinebu, a lawyer, cleric and philanthropist shared her political work experience and advised COPWIP members to solve problems within their communities to win trust of the locals.
“Touch lives in your communities as professionals long before you dream of going into politics,’’ she advised.
She listed factors that encouraged exclusion of female politicians to include stigmatisation, odd meeting hours usually fixed by male politicians, violence, inadequate education and finance, among others.
“One of the major problems we have is that the grassroots are actually left behind whether we like it or not, and then the female professionals for one reason or the other,’’ she said.
She appealed to the major political parties to reduce cost of nomination forms in order not to exclude credible women and youths from vying for political offices in the 2023 general elections.
She said politicking should be seen as a family affair where all had equal opportunities, adding that, women were game changers that could attract positive development in all areas in the nation.
Mrs Atinuke Owolabi, a multi award winning engineer and Convener of COPWIP, enumerated the goals and visions of the group to change the narrative in the nation’s polity.
She called on the government to accord female professionals more political opportunities.
“We cannot continue to leave politics in the hands of the ignorant but as technocrats must get involved in nation building and development,’’ she said.
Mrs Oladunjoye Olayinka, Vice Chairman, East, APC in Lagos State commended COPWIP and the convener, adding that, female advocacy was tasking.
Mr Bashir Adewale, only male in the zoom joined other speakers to emphasise the importance of perseverance while introducing positive nation building strategies as well as the need for women to support each other. (NAN)
