2019: NCWS give Buhari conditions for support
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Nigeria women under the aegis of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) on Thursday demanded for the appointments of more women into government as a precondition for attracting more votes from women in 2019
President of the NCWS, Gloria Shoda who spoke when the women met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, said Nigeria is yet to fulfill the target of 35 percent of women in decision-making posts in the executive.
She declared that Nigerian women were not happy over the manner major political parties treated them during the last primary elections held across the country.
The women also demanded that the three women, namely, Amina Mohammed , Kemi Adeosun and Aisha Alhassan who had vacated their ministerial posts for various reasons should be replaced.
“You know we are the foot soldiers and as women, we come out to vote. If you do this for us, we will gladly come out en-mass to vote for you,” she stressed.
“we appeal to you to please champion the inclusion and participation of more women in your cabinet, public office and board appointments, can we also leave here with hope that these three (3) ministerial vacancies will be filled before the end of this year,”.
According to her, “ The major parties charged exorbitant fees for forms and other levies after which a lot of women were either dropped or asked to withdraw. This is why the 35 percent affirmative action is key for Nigerian women political advancement, this is done in other countries,”
The NCWS President said there was need for the federal government to make a law that will domesticate the implementation of the affirmative action in the 36 states of the federation.
The NCWS President lamented that women in Nigeria continue to face safety challenges with issues of rape, assault and indiscriminate killings not being properly handled by security agencies.
“One of the most painful areas I want to highlight today, is the rate of sexual violence and abuse in our communities, schools, streets, homes and public transport and even the IDPs.
“There is hardly a day that we do not read about sexual molestation, rape, assault and killings perpetrated against girls and women,” she said.
But the President in his remarks jocularly said “ I hope this is not a threat. Since the threat is clear and is coming at election time, maybe, I will appoint more women as SAs,”
The President said that the demand on 35 percent affirmative action was coming at a time when campaigns for the 2019 general elections are about to start.
He told the NCWS leaders that he has since filled the vacant positions created as a result of the exit of three women with other women in the current cabinet.
President Buhari recently redeployed Mrs. Zainab Ahmed former minister of State for Budget and National Planning to replace Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who resigned over NYSC certificate scandal as minister of Finance.
Mrs. Aisha Alhassan former minister of Women Affairs who left to contest for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was replaced by Mrs. Aisha Abubakar.
The President at the event also promised to address the issue of women abuse in IDP camps raised by the NCWS leadership.
Tony Ailemen,Abuja