Gender equality: Academics task women on increased participation in governance, others
Gender equality: Academics task women on increased participation in governance, others
By Augusta Uchediunor/ Michael Ajayi
Lagos, March 10, 2020 (NAN) Some female academics have advised women to arise and increase their participation in governance and other spheres of life.
They spoke in Lagos on Tuesday at a CSO-Media Roundtable in commemoration of the 2020 International Women’s Day.
The event was organised by the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN) in collaboration with First Future Leadership.
It had the theme: “ Twenty-Five Years Post Fourth World Conference On Women: Where is Nigeria? Which Way Forward?
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the objective of the discussion was to review where Nigeria is in the quest for gender equality since the Beijing Platform for Action was conceived 25 years ago.
Mojubaola Okome, a Professor of Political Science, African and Women Studies, Brooklyn College, U.S., said that the Sustainable Development Goal Five – achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls – could only be realised if women would become more involved in governance.
She urged governments to create enabling environments to encourage such involvement.
“Nigeria with six per cent women participation in national legislature is going backwards unlike Rwanda with over 60 per cent; so, let us prioritise women’s rights,’’ she said.
According to her, the essence of signing international treaties is for governments to be committed.
“We are going to hold them accountable by asking them to do what they have promised by making a constitution-based argument to invoke it and it should be practised.’’
She added that creation of a broad coalition of women’s rights organisations would help Nigeria to make the needed progress.
“We are fighting against discrimination of women, saying that there must be equity in access to political office.
“Also, we are saying that hunger is a problem, we want to make sure that we have an inclusive society where we don’t worry about shelter, security and how to pay children’s school fees.
“We must also take them on board because once we reduce poverty and reduce barriers to access to the basic social needs, we can motivate them and work together in accomplishing gender equality,” she said.
She said that the economy should not be for only the wealthy and well-connected.
Okome said that people, especially women, needed access to decent jobs.
Also, Ms Asikia Karibi-Whyte of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, University of Lagos, said that the way forward for increased women participation in governance was no longer by negotiation.
“ If we continue to wait turn-by-turn, we will never get there because power is not given willingly.
“Wresting that power is not just by coming to a gathering, by getting encouraged but by getting involved in political process, leadership positions and investing in companies,’’ she said.
Karibi-Whyte said that women required for governance must be servant-leaders with vision and missions – “those who will make sure that they work together with other women as sisters to deliver to their full capacities”.
“I have found that women do really have a voice because I grew up knowing my grandmother; she was one of the four women in Ibadan who the Olubadan then would listen to.
“Then my grandfather who I never met (he died in 1963) left a lot of property – land, clothes – and my mother happened to inherit a land – over 1,000 acres – that had cocoa and kolanut,’’ she said.
Dr Adetoun Ilumoka, a campaigner for social justice, gender equality and equity, said that Nigeria still needed to do more in education to move forward.
Ilumoka said that education and information had impacts on domestic violence and violence in general.
“Education is contacts and relationships with other women to be able to see what their lives are like so that you can challenge your particular situation in life.
“When you are exposed to information, when you are educated, you are more likely to challenge an unjust domestic situation you found yourself in, and to try and find ways out,’’ Ilumoka said. (NAN)
MA/ANU/VIV/IGO
==============
Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Ijeoma Popoola
