Women stakeholders in Nasarawa State have called for special parliamentary seats for women in the National Assembly and 36 state Houses of Assembly ahead of the 2027 general election.
The meeting was organized by the League of Women Voters of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NOWOJ), on Tuesday in Lafia.
Speaking at the event, Mrs Veronica Ogbele, Chairperson of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria the move was to encourage political participation and good governance.
Ogbele said that the rating of Nigeria among countries that give women opportunities in governance is not good enough, and it is a shame.
“Even some small African countries were rated far in terms of women representation in governance ahead of Nigeria, the most populous black nation.
“This is not good, and the narrative needs to be changed for the better to boost representation that will help address the challenges facing us,” she added.
She proposed that one Senate, one House of Representatives, and three House of Assembly seats should be given to women in the 36 states of the federation.
She said there were so many issues concerning the welfare of women that could not scale through at the National Assembly and state houses of assembly because of the smaller number of women to push for them.
She, therefore, said that the group would carry out sensitization in all the nooks and crannies if the state were to enlighten women on the need to support themselves for elective positions in future elections.
On her part, Hadiza Umar, NAWOJ Chairman in Nasarawa State, emphasized that the special seats, when considered, would go a long way to break barriers and create opportunities for women to excel.
She further said that the women journalists would continue to collaborate with other amazons to advocate for the rights of women in the overall interest of the development of the country.
“We will use our various platforms to project things that will help to promote the welfare and wellbeing of women in the state and entire country,” The NOWOJ Chairman added.
In her goodwill message, Silifat Sule, wife of Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, represented by Mrs. Beauty Ebu-Onyawoyi, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Women’s Affairs, appreciated the organizers for the sensitization.
The governor’s wife, therefore, promised to be at the forefront in protecting the rights of women, children, and other vulnerable groups and urged women to participate in politics no matter the name-calling.
The meeting was attended by various women groups and women appointed to various positions in the Nasarawa State government. (NAN).
