Bukola Afeni
The Program Manager of Global Rights, Edosa Oviawe has emphasised the need for more women to be in leadership positions. While noting that, this will allow them to exercise their civil rights.
He stated this at the Fireside Dialogue on Navigating the Civic Space and Advancing Inclusivity with Nigeria’s New Administration.
He called on the new leaders to include women in leadership roles as it will bring about development in the civic space.
“We need more space for women in the civic space, we want them to participate in every activity in the society. We want the government to enforce federal character in different political roles, we want women to be able to exercise their potential”, he said.
The Program Manager further added that women should not be discriminated against in every segment of society.
“We need women in crucial positions of power. We want them to be given a voice. The civic space is shrinking, so we want women to play an active role in the society. The 35 percent affirmative action should be actualized. We want to see women occupying top leadership positions in Nigeria”, he said.
In the same vein, he called for the inclusion of people living with disabilities to enable them to occupy leadership position
“There is a need for CSOs to look out for persons with disabilities. That is the core of our conversation today.
We should include people with disabilities in this new administration. When we want to navigate the civic space, we should consider inclusion of people with disabilities “, Oviawe said.
The Head of Office, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Nigeria, Jochen Luckscheiter,
urged the new administration to work with women and include them in the decision-making process.
“It is high time to allow women to be given a voice. We need to get to a place where we begin to support women.
We have to erase the patriarchal system, and begin to give voices to women at the table”, he said.
The Representative of ” We The People” Mr Ken Henshaw, urged men to stand up and defend the rights of women.
“The dysfunctional patriarchy favours the man and most times the victim of patriarchy believes the narrative. The men need to support the women so that they can achieve their potential.
We want human rights experts to ensure that the rights of women and girls are protected. We need to address the root cause of patriarchy”, Henshaw said.
A Development expert, Jide Ojo, highlighted the need for women to rally around and form a national party.
“We need the women to come together and have a voice at the poll. The preparation can start from now, we do not have to wait till 2027 to start campaigning for elections”, he said.
