Be deliberate in encouraging women to participate in politics, FG urged
The federal government has been urged to be more flexible in supporting women to win elective offices. Hajia Lami Tumaka, a former director at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja, while speaking at the 2024 MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame Induction & International Women’s […]
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The federal government has been urged to be more flexible in supporting women to win elective offices.
Hajia Lami Tumaka, a former director at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja, while speaking at the 2024 MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame Induction & International Women’s Leadership Summit.
The event had as its theme, “Gender Equality – Influencing Policies and Upscaling Capacity in Digital Economy”.
Tumaka specifically urged political parties to deliberately leave some offices exclusively open for only women to contest.
She said: “When we talk about giving women opportunities, we are talking about competent women not just because they are women but because they have the capacity, they are able, they can stand on their own
“We keep talking about giving a percentage, setting aside a percentage for women not just because they are women but because they are women that have the capacity to also bring something to the table.
“The government should be deliberate in encouraging women to participate, especially in politics. Don’t just say to the girl child that her place is in the kitchen. No, she also has the capacity to do exactly what the boy child can do.”
Mrs Mary Mamman, a retired deputy director from NIMASA, also corroborated Tumaka’s stance.
She said: “What we are asking the government is that they should disregard the fact that we are women, they should look at what we can offer.
“What can the women offer? Are they good at it? It is not necessarily looking at whether she’s a women or because she’s a woman we can’t put her there. Even if all the people working there are women I think there is nothing wrong with it.”