Women’s Leadership Group (WLG), a civil society organisation, has called on the youth to engage in promoting gender equality in Nigeria’s politics.
This charge was given on behalf of the group by Dr. Nkechi Eke Nwankwo, a gender expert, and Rakiya Zubairu, a veteran journalist, at an interactive session with students of the Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, held recently.
They challenged the students to go beyond the cynicism about electoral processes in Nigeria and find ways to engage and make a change.
WLG’s engagement with the youth is a part of the organisation’s activities to prepare Nigeria’s electorate as election year 2019 draws closer.
Read also: N10bn contractors’ payment: Adeosun alleges smear campaign
The group noted that it has become imperative to ensure that the abysmal (less than six percent) representation of Nigerian women in politics and appointment to political positions records a significant change in the next round.
Women’s Leadership Group, an organisation that has been promoting women’s political rights since 1998, believes that women have to be encouraged to actively seek political offices in more numbers in order to hold the men to the promise of reserving certain percentages for them and that there are no shortages of qualified women to fill 35% or even more of political positions in Nigeria.
In their response, the students pledged to engage by ensuring they register to vote and encourage their families and friends to do the same.
The event, which had in attendance 140 students (90 females and 50 males) was organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts Students Association (FASA).
