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By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
As the 2022 International Women’s Day is marked globally every 8th of March to agitate for women issues, Women have been called upon to break the gender biases against them by supporting more women seeking for elective offices in their various communities.
The call was made at a one-day symposium to commemorate the 2022 International Women’s day with theme:’Gender Equality Today for a sustainable Tomorrow’, organized by the Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria.
Speaking during a symposium to mark the date in Bauchi, the Executive Director, Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative (FAWODYI), Hajiya Maryam Garba lamented that the number of women in elective positions in the country is very low compared to their male counterparts.
She therefore called on women to bridge the gap by seeking elective offices so that women can get a fair representation both at the state, local and national levels.
She also said that the aim of the symposium was sensitize women on the need for them to break the gender barriers against them by ensuring that more women are in elective offices.
According to her, “This day, the international Women’s day could not have come at a better time than this when women are seeking for a voice in this nation.The number of women we have in our elective offices both at the state and national level is not encouraging at all.We are the only one that can change the narrative by supporting ourselves to ensure that we support any woman seeking an elective position”.
Also Speaking, the Special Assistant to the Bauchi state Governor on Special Duties, Mrs Comfort Sulisma said that the fear of rejection has hindered so many women from contesting elective offices, stressing that so many factors ranging from religion, gender bias, tradition amongst others have made many women to hide in their shell without exploring their potentials.
Comfort Sulisma added that, “I think what women should be agitating for is gender equity and not equality because we cannot say we must be equal to the men.Women should push instead for the 35 percent affirmative action so that we can have a fair representation of women both at the state and national level”.
In her position paper, Mrs Noami Yusuf, INEC Gender officer in the state, urged women, particularly at the community level to ensure that they get registered and obtain their permanent voters cards in order to vote for women seeking elective offices in their respective communities.
She said that it is disheartening to see women contesting elective offices and never make it beyond the primary elections because they have no support, adding if women can mobilise themselves and support their fellow women, more women will win elective offices which will benefit them in the future.
The women were drawn from Community based Organizations (CBOs), Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), government, religious organizations and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
