Femi Gbajabiamila, Lawan crave more women participation in governance

Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, among others, have canvassed improvement in women participation in the governance of the country.

They spoke yesterday during a training workshop for female legislators in the country organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) women in Abuja.

Lawan, who was represented by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, expressed concern that Nigerian women exist in an environment that is still dominated by men. He called for improved representation of the womenfolk in the governance of the country.

“Doing this will situate them better in the scheme of things, aside from improving their viability in legislative processes and procedures. The women we presently have proven to be achievers both within and outside the chambers, and have become beacons for the girl-child.

“This training should form another ground not just for us to highlight the importance of mastering legislative procedures, but the chances of multiple role-playing by our women, in line with their increasingly tight schedules.”

Gbajabiamila, who threw his weight behind the quest to improve women’s participation in politics and governance, warned that it would be counterproductive for the country if women remained marginalised in the scheme of things.

Represented by the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejoicha, the speaker said: “When, as is often the case now, we keep women from participating in politics and governance at the scale they ought to, society suffers. It does not matter whether these restrictions are legal or cultural, economic, or religious.

“The end results are still the same, we end up with a country where after 60 years of independence, our collective aspirations remain just that, and it often feels like our best days are behind us, not ahead of us.

“I endorse all well thought out efforts to support women who are already in government so that they can be more effective public servants.”