Taiwo Oluga, chairperson of the house committee on women in
parliament, says a woman should be appointed the defence minister to
effectively address security challenges.
According to NAN, Oluga spoke on Monday at a media briefing
organised by the European Union in collaboration with the Nigerian Women Trust
Fund, in Abuja.
She said female participation in politics remains low in
Nigeria despite advocacies conducted by various groups in the country.
Oluga expressed concern over the low number of females who
participated in the presidential primary, adding that the development will
prevent women from achieving 35 percent affirmative action in elective and
appointive positions.
“For the first time
in history, let a woman be appointed as minister of defence and you will see
the action; you will see a positive change in our security architecture,” she
said.
“Going by the number of women, who are currently nominated
by various political parties and are vying for elective offices in the
forthcoming 2023 general election, there are serious issues of concern as it
seems that the figure in the current assembly might worsen if drastic steps are
not taken immediately.
“Before the last primary elections, Nigeria ranked amongst
the lowest number of women participation in governance in Africa, with about
6.2 percent of national parliamentarians being women.
“The question is, of
the less than eight percent of women nominated for elective offices in 2023,
how many women would emerge victorious at the general election?
“The point is that even if all these women win their
elections, the figure remains very low and a cause for serious concern and
action.
“Another question is, is there a taboo barring women from
vying for the highest decision-making position in Nigeria, that is, the
position of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria?
“This is because, out of all the 18 political parties in
Nigeria, only the APM (Allied Peoples Movement) fielded a female presidential
candidate.”
Oluga added that no woman was nominated as national assembly
candidate in Zamfara, Kano, Taraba, Sokoto, and Yobe states.
“The implication of this is that, even before next year’s
elections in Nigeria, it is crystal clear that 13.5 percent of states will not
have women in elective offices in their national assembly seats,” she added.
She, however, said the committee, with other development
partners, will initiate activities to discourage religious beliefs and cultural
practices that hinder women from participating in politics.
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