The Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF), a pressure group, has urged political parties in the country to consider women as their governorship candidates in states and appoint women as their chairpersons, ahead of the 2023 poll.
Ms Angela Nkwo, Communications Officer, NFF, said this at a news conference with a theme: “The Role of Feminism in Advancing Women’s Rights in Nigeria” on Monday in Abuja.
Nkwo also urged the 18 political parties in the country to reserve 40 per cent of their elective positions for women.
“We call on women to register to vote in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and join political parties to contest elections.
“We call on the Federal Government to address insurgency and abuse of women, show commitment to their cause and appoint a woman one of the service chiefs in the armed forces,” she said.
Nkwo urged the 36 State Houses of Assembly to domesticate the Violence against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in their states to protect the rights of women, girls and other vulnerable persons.
She said that the forum was concerned about lack of representation of women and girls in the country even when records indicated that women constituted almost half of the population.
“Women and girls, in spite of our large population enjoy less than six per cent representation. Out of 109 Senators in Nigeria, only seven are women.
“Out of 360 lawmakers at the House of Representatives, only 11 are women, altogether, there are only 18 women out of 469 lawmakers at the National Assembly; this is a very paltry and discriminative figure.
“If nothing is done urgently, Nigerian women and girls will continue to be discriminated upon, we demand female inclusion urgently and adoption of gender equality across all spheres in Nigeria,” she said.
Nkwo decried the culture of patriarchy in Nigeria, saying it had undermined the rights of women, leading to their exploitation and marginalisation in the affairs of the country.
Ms Ene Edeh, FCT VAPP Coordinator, said that women had used legitimate means including advocacy and enlightenment to ask for justice.
She said that the women were not averse to going to court to ensure that they got what they deserved.
Also speaking, Mrs Blessing Duru, said that the group was working with state governments to increase awareness among women in different communities on the need to know and demand for their rights.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NFF is a biennial public forum that brings together feminists who challenge the system of power and promote the universality of women’s rights.(NAN)
