WARDC, UN women build capacity of female legislators – Guardian Nigeria

To enhance the capacity of women in the political space and ensure that more women occupy leadership positions in government, the Women’s Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), in partnership with the Canadian Government and UN Women, has organised a sensitisation workshop for legislators from across the six geo-political zones of the country.

The one-day workshop, organised for elected female federal and state legislators in the country, was recently held in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman, Conference of Speakers/Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman; Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Taiwo Oluomo and their Lagos State counterpart, Mudashiru Obasa, all decried the poor utilisation of media space by female legislators in the country, advising them to employ professional media aides.

According to the trio, the absence female legislators in the media space, among other factors, contribute to the attitude of the populace towards female candidates in elections.

“Women, you need to be more visible. Do not allow the men to dominate the media space. When you do something, let it be out there. Do not shy away from the media,” Oluomo said.

Suleiman, on his part, commended the efforts of female candidates who, against all odds, won the 2023 general election.

Speaking on the ‘Role of Parliamentarians in Ensuring Gender and Social Inclusion’, the Keynote Speaker, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, said parliamentarians should sponsor laws that protect women’s rights and promote their participation in all aspects of society.

Akande-Sadipe, who is a member of the House of Representatives and former chairperson, House Committee on Diaspora, added that they should also champion legislations that address gender-based violence and equal opportunities in education, as well as safeguard the reproductive rights of women.

“As parliamentarians, we have the power to drive gender and social inclusion through our oversight functions. We must hold government agencies accountable. 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 asked.

Also speaking at the workshop, Executive Director, Centre for Gender and Development Studies, Ekiti State University, Prof. Olabisi Aina, urged women politicians to place premium on self-development and capacity building, arguing that the challenge of funding could be eliminated by enhanced skills and knowledge.

For UN Women Country Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, Nigeria currently trails behind her peers due to poor representation of its female population.

“Women constitute 50 per cent of Nigeria’s population and need to be equally represented at all levels given their numerical strength. Nigeria cannot overcome gender-based discrimination and inequality if women’s political voice remains marginalised. This must be supported by law and implemented at federal and state levels,” she said.

She further urged women legislators to create an equitable role for women in politics by playing a critical role in the mobilisation and conscientisation of women to join political parties, register for and vote during elections as well as aspire to political offices.

Eyong also emphasised the need for women politicians to strengthen linkages with intra-party campaign machineries, decision makers and external associations of women.

Executive Director, WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the workshop was organised to exchange ideas, share experiences and explore effective strategies for promoting gender equality across legislative institutions in the country.

“We recognise that gender parity is not just a matter of fairness but of necessity. To build a better future, we must embrace diversity and inclusivity. We firmly believe that diverse perspectives lead to better policies and more effective governance.

“Today’s workshop, which is the last step of a one-year project engagement by our partners, is about fostering an environment where women can thrive, not just as legislators but as role models, mentors and advocates for future generations,” she added.

She added that the workshop was sequel to the training of 241 women leaders and candidates across the country in preparation for the 2023 election, adding that 25 out of the 241 candidates won the elections.