AFF Partners MacArthur Foundation for Gender Inclusive Governance

Funmi Ogundare

 Stakeholders drawn from government parastatals, media, oil and gas sectors, as well as non government organisations, converged recently, virtually for a discussion on ‘Gender Inclusive Governance’, aimed at encouraging women to up their ante in their leadership ambition, stimulating public conversations and closing the gender parity in women’s access to power.

The programme was organised by Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF) in collaboration with MacArthur Foundation.

Speaking at the programme, the Executive Director of the foundation, Mr. Akin Fadeyi wondered why women have continued to take a back seat in politics and governance, saying that it was time for Nigeria to jettison the self-inflicted barriers.

According to him, “what happened to us as a nation? Why are women taking the back seat in politics? Why is it that in 1999 till date, we have had 109 members in the House of Representatives and House of Assembly with only three women?”

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ondo State, Mrs. Olateju Bamidele stressed the need to push to the front burner gender responsive governance and issues affecting women, adding that sometimes the men may feel threatened.

She emphasised on some of the obstacles confronting women, saying that they are their own enemies sometimes and that they don’t understand their roles even as women.

“As women, we have to support each other and in politics and finance, we need to hold the position in trust.”

The Executive Director, T.A Connect, Dr. Lilian Anomnachi said there should be an intentionality in women getting it right in politics and governance, as well as more transformative agendas.

“There is a need to build the capacity of women so that they can look up to others who have been there. We can look at the case of Rwanda that has gotten it right. How do we create programmes that have gender transformative agendas?” she asked.

Dr. Amina Salihu, a Senior Programme Officer, MacAuthour Foundation noted that politics for women starts the day they are born as females, adding that the boy and girl-child must be raised as equals so as to demystify socialisation.

“Women are doing a lot,” she said, adding that they should be able to ask what they can do better.

“Women should have economic power. We should be able to address the poverty of time and demand.”

The Coordinator, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy  (AFRICMIL), Dr. Chido Onuma emphasised on the issue of power asymmetry, saying that the role women play in our political process is very critical, which has to go into emancipation.

Other stakeholders stressed the need for women to change their strategy and not see themselves as second fiddle, challenge the patriarchal movement of the political bodies and navigate the dynamics of power in a way that will not threaten the men.

The programme featured the unveiling of a competition tagged, ‘What Women Can Do’.