How Nigerian women can assert their political rights- Experts

Women
By Olawale Akinremi
Ibadan, March 9, 2020 (NAN) Prof. Oyeduni Arulogun, the Director of University of Ibadan Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and some stakeholders said on Monday that Nigerian women need to be mentored to enable them assert their political rights.

They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday in Ibadan.

Arulogun, who spoke on the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day celebration, “Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights,” said political mentoring remained a viable option to achieve the goal of asserting women’s rights.

She said that one of the ways in which women ccould assert their political rights include having men  mentor  them politically and help build their mental capacity in political administration.

“Apart from showing interest in other aspects of life, women  must also allow themselves  to be mentored in the technicalities of Nigerian politics in order to take  their rightful positions because women are really lagging behind.

“It is a well known fact that men have many mentors they look up to as far as Nigerian politics is concerned.

” Women can also take a cue from the numerous examples by allowing themselves to be mentored by men.

“One of the challenges Nigerian women have in politics is that they  are not expected to take up political positions let alone make  decisions.

“In fact, women who go into politics are seen as aberration,” Arulogun said.

Dr Sharon Omotoso, the Coordinator, Women’s Research and Documentation (WORDOC), Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, also pointed out the need to understand that women are equal partners in progress and in global development.

“Over the years, many communities did not recognise women as key players especially with the dichotomy of the public and private spheres.

“However, we have been able to establish that whatever we call the private sphere is itself political.

“As a result, whoever will operate in the public sphere will need to have undergone certain trainings that start from the private sphere.

“That private sphere is what they describe as space for women.

“Obviously, there is no man that operates in the public sphere that has not passed through the private sphere,” Omotoso explained.

The don further stated that there was  need for women and girls to equally be given proper education and all forms of leadership training just like men and boys.

The gender activist said  society must recognise the fact that the era of having men at the forefront and keeping women at the background was no longer fashionable.

She further stated that the entire world and indeed, Nigeria, needed to operate with the mind set that equality was not asking for competition, but for women to be allowed to operate within their full potential.

Edem Ossai, an Ibadan-based lawyer and Research Fellow at the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, called on women to expand their activities beyond the home front and office to actively engage in politics.

“The same commitment women give to religion and other domestic issues must be given to politics because it is where our future is determined.

“Again, women should be supported to engage in politics by their spouses, relatives and even children because running for elections in Nigeria is very expensive,” Ossai said. (NAN)
SEM/ECN/OJO
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(Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye/Mufutau Ojo)