Female politicians have been urged to be strategic, mentor and empower women and the girl-child, avoid lip service and more importantly, dominate the media space.
These were the submissions at a one-day sensitisation workshop organised for Elected Female Legislators titled: ‘Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) and Women’s Political Empowerment’ held in Lagos recently.
At the event organised by Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre (WARDC) in partnership with the government of Canada and UN Women, the chairman, Conference of Speakers/Speaker, Bauchi House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman; Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Taiwo Oluomo; and their Lagos counterpart, Mudashiru Obasa, among others made this submission.
Read Also: Otti lauds Abia women’s roles in nation building
“As women, you need to be more visible. Do not allow men to dominate the media space. When you do something, let it be out there. Do not shy away from the media,” Oluomo said.
According to Oluomo, women’s absence in the spotlight has contributed heavily to the attitude of the populace towards female political candidates and consequently affected their eventual success during elections.
While commending the efforts of all female candidates who, against all odds, won in the 2023 general elections, Hon. Abubakar Suleiman said there is need to address barriers that hinder women’s full participation in politics.
Speaking on the ‘Role of Parliamentarians in Ensuring Gender and Social Inclusion’, the keynote speaker, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, member, House of Representatives and former Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, said parliamentarians must sponsor bills that protect women’s rights and promote their participation in all aspects of society.
“…You have public hearings and you invite agencies in your states to the house; but how many of you have ever asked them how many women are directors in their agencies or what they are doing about increasing the number of female directors?” she interrogated.
Speaking on the rationale behind the workshop, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre, said the aim was to exchange ideas, share experiences and explore effective strategies for promoting gender equality across legislative institutions in the country.