Kukah Centre trains managers of political parties on deepening democracy

By Damilola Falayi National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, has said continued capacity development programmes for managers of political parties would enhance their performance. He spoke in Lagos during the Political Party Development Workshop for Technical Working Groups (TWGs) of political parties organised by the Kukah Centre and Nigeria Women Trust […]

By Damilola Falayi

National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, has said continued capacity development programmes for managers of political parties would enhance their performance.

He spoke in Lagos during the Political Party Development Workshop for Technical Working Groups (TWGs) of political parties organised by the Kukah Centre and Nigeria Women Trust Fund.

The TWGs is a strategy grouping as part of the implementation strategy under the EU-Support to Political Parties project.

Dantalle, who is the National Chairman of Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) said managers of political parties as a special purpose vehicle need to improve their capacity to perform optimally.

“And this program is about building capacity for the managers of the political parties and the management of political parties. And by extension, it will catalyze into a better democratic atmosphere because we’ll have better managers of political parties.

“It is a wonderful and welcome development. And once again, I thank the European Union in partnership with The Kukah Foundation for this wonderful initiative.”

According to him, to deepen democracy, there was the need to build the special vehicle for the assumption of people into office through a democratic space, saying, “it’s as good as we are doing the same thing and this is a propelling force for the focus of IPAC on democracy in Nigeria.”

Deputy National Woman leader of PDP, Hon. Maryam Bagel, said finance had become a major challenge for women in politics, saying Nigerian politics is becoming more and more expensive.

She said, “Women are poorer than men. And Nigerian politics is becoming more expensive by the day. So, one has to have the financial muscles, capabilities to at least take care of the basic things that a politician will need to campaign, to take your people around. And you cannot just do it without money. So, women are disadvantaged in that sector. So, these are a few of the areas that I can tell you are affecting women in politics.”

Inimfon Etuk, a PR and Strategic Communications expert, who spoke on “Developing Enhanced Political Party Communication” emphasized the seven C’s of communication which include: clarity, conciseness, correctness, consideration, connectedness, completeness, concreteness, and courtesy.

She stated that a political party is a brand that should be able to provide answers to the needs of the populace it is seeking to represent.