IWD: Tinubu seeks ‘deeper engagement’ on increasing women’s participation in politics

Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect, says more policies geared towards increasing the political representation of women are needed.

In a statement to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD), Tinubu called for “deeper engagement” on gender equity in Nigeria.

The 2023 IWD, marked on Wednesday, had ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’ as the theme.

“In our country, women have always played an important role in our social, political, and economic evolution. The story of many of our far gone heroines like Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Hajia Gambo Sawaba and hundreds of Aba Women who fought for economic rights of women and contributed to the liberation struggle against colonialism will continue to inspire generations to come,” the statement reads.

“The theme of this year’s celebration, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” is not only about how we must mainstream our women into the digital economy but more importantly about the broader issues of gender equity, equality and the health developmental needs of women and girls through our practices and policies.

“Embracing gender equity for us in Nigeria has progressed beyond technology adoption and participation in innovation; to a more deeper engagement about how we treat issues of economic justice, social mobility and equitable (especially political) representation of women.

“Our population demography and development indices indicate that we can only progress if we harness the numerical value of the human resources, the nation is blessed with. Specifically, our women play very important roles in national life from the family units where they nurture our children who will be next generation of leaders to the farmlands, markets and boardrooms where they play their role as major economic actors.”

The president-elect promised to provide an enabling environment for “for these goals to become manifest”.

TheCable reported on Thursday that women got only 3.5 percent of national assembly seats declared so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).