National News
EU Insists Inclusion of Women in Politics, Governance Important for Sustainable Development
EU Insists Inclusion of Women in Politics, Governance Important for Sustainable Development
By: Michael Mike
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi, has stated that the active participation of women in decision-making and politics remains important if Nigeria is to achieve equality, sustainable development, peace, and democracy.
She noted that while women have the fundamental right to participate in political life, most of them still face a lot of social, cultural, and financial challenges.
Isopi reminded stakeholders, especially the National Assembly, that the ongoing constitution reform process presents Nigeria with a unique opportunity to join the league of progressive nations in promoting gender parity through the adoption of a legal framework that discourages discrimination based on gender.
Isopi, who was represented by the EU Deputy Head of Mission to Nigeria, Zissimos Vergos, made this known in Abuja, during a two-day roundtable on women inclusion in politics, in commemoration of the International Women’s week, organised by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), with the theme: “Women’s Underrepresentation: Exploring the Use of Temporary Special Measures to Elect Women to Parliaments, said: “Over the years, strategies to increase women’s participation in politics have been advanced through conventions, protocols, and international agreements for gender mainstreaming. However, they are yet to prove effective in achieving gender parity in the highest government rankings.
“Thus, women continue to be underrepresented in government, and face barriers that often make it difficult for them to access, exercise political power, and assume leadership positions.”
She noted that: “In Nigeria, the advocacy for women’s political participation has been long drawn, and in spite of the very dynamic interventions by women groups and other key stakeholders, their representation remains in steady decline. For example, women’s representation in the 10th National Assembly is 7.4 percent out of a total of 469 combined seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.”
She stressed that there is strong evidence that as more women are elected to office, there is an increase in policymaking that emphasises quality of life, and reflects the priorities of families, women, and marginalised groups.
“Women tend to work across party lines, be highly responsive to constituent concerns, help secure lasting peace, encourage citizen confidence in democracy through their own participation, and prioritise health, education, and other key development indicators.
Isopi said: “Women’s political leadership may not be the only answer to sustainable development, but the foregoing underscores the important contributions women offer when given equal opportunities to men. We must therefore strive for a society where every woman does not just feel safe enough to survive but empowered enough to thrive.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu,, explained that women bring immense value to nation-building, particularly as they are more thorough, unbiased, look beyond themselves, and are selfless.
He said: “What the best performing African countries regarding female representation have in common is the adoption of electoral quotas for women; a system which is not present in the nations at the bottom of the ranking. Unfortunately, Nigeria happens to be one of them. The last position is Nigeria, with only 4 percent of women holding seats in the House of Representatives, and 3.6 percent in the Senate. That is sad.
“In Nigeria, only 4 percent of women hold seats in the House of Representatives, and 3.6 percent in the Senate. That is sad. These figures paint a picture of stack disparity and highlight the urgent need for proactive and corrective measures to address the gender imbalance in political representation.”
On her part, Chair, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Ireti Kingibe, said, “As of the 9th Assembly, we ranked 182 out of 186 countries in the world in terms of women in governance and politics. Nigeria faces significant gaps in women participation across all arms and levels of governance, reflecting a pressing need for increased gender inclusivity.
“Recent data reveals that women remain underrepresented in political spheres, with only 3.411 percent of parliamentary seats held by women. 4 out of 109 Senators, and 14 out of 360 members of the House of Representatives. Part of the problem that I see is that first, the women are not usually on the ballots, let alone to get voted for. Therefore, one of the first places to start would be the political parties.
“Even when the women get elected, even within the Chambers and the House, there is a lot of discrimination and lack of inclusion. It is not just about getting women elected but is also about changing the psyche of the average man for him to understand that women are important in governance and decision-making, just as he thinks his mother and wife are important.”
The Chair, House Committee on Women in Parliament, Hon. Fatima Talba added that: “There is an urgent need to address the imbalance that we are seeing today in governance. There is a need to address women’s inclusion in politics and building bridges to empower women in politics.
“While there are over 150 committees in the National Assembly, there are committees with no women in it. How can the interest of women be protected? Women make up about 65 percent of the population, yet when it comes to decision-making, we are excluded.”
Executive Director, Policy, and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Mr. Clement Nwankwo, in his remarks, decried the unfair social, cultural, and political hurdles women have to scale to be able to hold political offices.
He said: “Recent elections in Nigeria in 2023, completely underscores the challenge we have in women representation, especially when you have a situation where out of 109 Senators, only 4 are women. Also, in the House of Representatives where you have 360 representatives, and only 14 are women. This tells you the crisis of inclusion that Nigeria is faced with.
“Women continue to face severe challenges, even contesting elections in the primaries. After scaling past the primaries, they then have to face the bigger conversations around contesting in the election itself. This is an issue that goes to the root of our democracy and the structure of governance in the country.”
EU Insists Inclusion of Women in Politics, Governance Important for Sustainable Development
SGBV Centre to be Established in All Wards in Kuje LGA
By: Michael Mike
Kuje local council of the Federal Capital Territory is set to establish Sexual and Gender Based Violence Centre in all its ten political wards to clampdown on the growing menace.
Delivering a speech at a one-day community advocacy/dialogue on issues of SGBV organised by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for stakeholders in Kuje, the Council Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Sabo who noted that: “Violence against women and girls in any form is the manifestation of profound lack of respect and a failure by men to recognize the inherent equality and dignity of women,” said that the council would set up response centres across the 10 political wards in Kuje Area Council to support the fight against SGBV.
The Chairman who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Abdullahi Sabo (Snr), said: “The time for complacency has long gone, it is time for action, we can no longer watch over 70 per cent of women in our communities face physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
” Therefore, for an effective response to this menace, the need for different sectors in the society to collaborate and work together cannot be overemphasised.
“We indeed pledge to do better for survivors of SGBV. As an institution, we need to do more to support victims and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“We have to do more to respond to the cry for justice for women and children who have suffered violence.”
On her part, the NAPTIP Director-General, Prof Fatima Waziri-Azi, said that the aim of the dialogue was to discuss the unique roles of all community stakeholders towards reducing SGBV in the FCT.
She said that it was also aim at empowering community members to recognize early signs of abuse, intervene effectively create a culture that does not tolerate violence.
“We must collectively continue to create a supportive environment where victims feel empowered to report cases of SGBV, this lies in the hands of the communities.
She said that parents are been complacent by failing to protect their children in abusive and exploitative situations.
The DG encouraged Nigerians to report cases of SGBV to NAPTIP, while also stressing the need to preserve evidence especially in cases of rape.
SGBV Centre to be Established in All Wards in Kuje LGA
President Tinubu flags off inaugural airlift of 2024 Hajj in Kebbi
By: Our Reporter
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (CFR) has flagged-off the inaugural airlift of 2024 Hajji exercise from Nigeria to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The grand ceremony took place at Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday with distinguished personalities in attendance.
The President, who was represented by the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, urged the intending pilgrims to pray for peace, unity and progress of the country.
He charged the intending pilgrims to abide by all rules and regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and urged them to avoid any illicit act capable of affecting the integrity of their Hajj.
“Mr president has been committed to this year’s Hajji due to the economic situation, he has also contributed the sum of N90 billion Naira to subsidise this year’s Hajj exercise in order to have a smooth and successful exercise.
”You may recall that this year, we had a major challenge in announcing the final hajj fare for the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage due to fluctuation in foreign exchange rates.
”President Bola Tinubu also work round the clock to control the downwards spiral of our local currency to bring relief to our pilgrims and other Nigerians.
”A moved that eventually succeeded in lowering the fare. The President approved the released of N90 billion to subsidized the cost of pilgrimage for this year’s hajj.”
He said that the government of Renewed Hope led by Tinubu attaches immense importance to religious pilgrimage due to the role its plays in transforming behavioral and social vices of the believers beyond performing the pilgrimage.
Delivering his speech, the Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Dr Nasir Idris said this year’s Hajji signifies a sacred journey for thousands of devoted pilgrims who embarked on a spiritual voyage to the Holy land.
He explained further that Hajj is a time to honoured tradition that holds great significance for Muslims around the world.
“It is a journey of faith, devotion and unity where believers come together to fufill one of the five pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca is a profound experience that fosters a sense of community, humility and spiritual renewal,” he said
The Governor urged the people that they should remember the significance of this sacred ritual, adding that Hajji remained a testament to the unity of Muslim Ummah, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural differences.
“It is a time for reflection, prayer and seeking forgiveness, as well as an opportunity for personal growth and self discovery,” he added.
He commended the Federal Government, National Hajji Commission and those that were involved for there commitments toward the successful exercise.
Gov. Idris noted with satisfaction that Kebbi was the first state to remit 2024 Hajj fare in Nigeria, adding the intending pilgrims from Kebbi were given special treatment by the present administration to confort them toward a successful Hajj exercise.
The governor said his administration had spent N900 for infrastrutural development of the Hajj Camp in Birnin Kebbi to make it more conducive for the intending pilgrims
In his remarks, the National Chairman, National Hajji Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Jalai Ahmad Arabi thanked the President and Kebbi State Governor for their support and cooperation towards the success of this year’s Hajji exercise.
He described this year’s Hajji as the most innovative and special one, saying, “honestly, I am well over warm the way and manner the Kebbi State Goqqvernor committed all the resources for them to achieve.
President Tinubu flags off inaugural airlift of 2024 Hajj in Kebbi
National News
Nigeria Calls for Collaboration Among ECOWAS States to Develop Tourism Sector in West Africa
Nigeria Calls for Collaboration Among ECOWAS States to Develop Tourism Sector in West Africa
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria government has called for the collaboration among the counties of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to develop the tourism potential of the subregion and place West Africa in prime position to compete with other regions.
The Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Folorunsho Coker, also called for the streamlining of policies on tourism in countries in the subregion while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the meeting of experts and stakeholders of the private tourism industry on the monitoring and evaluation mechanism of ECOTOUR 19-29 and the ECOWAS Tourism Accommodation regulator in Abuja on Tuesday.
Coker said: “It’s the season to collaborate not to compete,” adding that: “It’s in the spirit of collaboration that we will grow pan-African tourism.”
He said: “I want to encourage the localisation of policies”, insisting that policies would only be successful when localised.
Coker said all the regulations in the region be streamlined into one that will guide activities in the tourism sector across the 15 ECOWAS member states, urging for the training of tourism operators in the region as well as the introduction of technology in tourism.
He said: “We must embrace technology or it will leave us behind.”
The Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of the ECOWAS Commission, Massandjé Toure-Liste said the meeting drew aspiration from the ECOTOUR 19-29 action plan, adopted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government which was designed to serve as a roadmap for promoting responsible tourism.
She said: “To this end, our technical meeting today centres around drafting the operational modalities for two critical tools: the ECOTOUR 19-29 monitoring and evaluation mechanism and the ETAR – ECOWAS Tourism Accommodation Regulator.
“The ECOTOUR 19-29 Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism will involve developing operational guidelines and appointing dedicated members or focal points to oversee its implementation.
“Simultaneously, for the ECOWAS Tourist Accommodation Regulator (ETAR) we will define the composition and operational modalities in alignment with Regulation C.REG.2/07/23.
“Our focus on Private Sector Collaboration includes; facilitating dialogue among representatives from the private tourism sector and encouraging strategic alignment and collaboration at the regional level.
Massandjé, who was represented by the ECOWAS Commission’s Director of Private sector, Dr Anthony Elumelu, said: “Additionally, we aim to support private sector players in finalising the process of creating a regional confederation.”
The meeting is expected to end on Friday 17th May, 2024.
Nigeria Calls for Collaboration Among ECOWAS States to Develop Tourism Sector in West Africa
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