By Editor
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) said it observed the lack of women inclusion in governance and political participation over the years.
NAWOJ therefore strongly appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make good his campaign promises of promoting equity and social inclusion at all levels of governance including ensuring adequate representation of women in governance.
In a 2023 Democracy Day message, NAWOJ said this had remained a weak link in the core values of democracy and was certainly not part of a true reflection of the Nigerian democratic dream.
NAWOJ again urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and members of the 10th National Assembly to, in the interest of gender balancing and equitable development and fairness in the allocation of ‘who gets what and how’ in the nation’s democracy, consider a ranking female legislator as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
The women Journalists said that was part of deliberate and conscious efforts aimed at addressing the gender gap.
NAWOJ specifically maintained that the underrepresentation of women in the 10th National Assembly was a serious setback that required deliberate action.
NAWOJ said that the time to set in motion the strategy for changing the narrative of underrepresentation of women at the National Assembly was now.
The Association observed that as it stands today, the 10th National Assembly was not gender friendly as it lacked balance with only 17 women representation out of 469 members of both chambers.
NAWOJ stressed that the development was so sad and worrisome as it did not reflect the diversity of the Nigerian society in any form.
NAWOJ further noted that gender diversity in leadership, fostered innovation and better governance, and that until the issue of women inclusion in leadership and governance were prioritized in the new administration, the nation’s democracy could at best be described as hypocrisy with the hopes of Nigerian women dashed once again.
NAWOJ equally posited that in the spirit of patriotism and building the confidence of women, who are always active participants in the political process, stakeholders and members of the National Assembly should consider and allow a female legislator to emerge as Deputy Speaker in order to give the gender requirement that promoted inclusion.
NAWOJ said: “Let’s right the wrong and make history in the eyes of the global community starting with the election of a female into a principal position of the 10th National Assembly.”
NAWOJ therefore urged that while Nigeria and Nigerians should be commended for bracing the odds to ensure that sustainable democracy was entrenched, their resilience for a guaranteed and uninterrupted successive democratic administration since return to democracy in 1999 deserved applause.
It also noted that the gains of the nation’s democratic experience were enormous and worthy of celebration by all.
NAWOJ said it was of the view that most significant was the collective resolve by most Nigerians that democracy, as a system of government, had its ideals and ethos which were being poorly adhered to by political leaders and stakeholders, thus creating gaps in the nation’s political space.
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