35% Women Representation in Ministerial Appointments in Tandem with National Policy on Gender, Says Don

Ugo Aliogo

The Professorial Research Associate, University of London, Prof. Imran Oluwole Smith, has said the 35 per cent women representation in ministerial appointments was in tandem with national policy on gender, noting that the President Bola Tinubu has started off well and hopes he continues that way.

Smith, who stated that this yesterday in Lagos, during the Women and Electoral Outcomes in Nigeria: North-South Variations organised by the W2 Foundation, said there should be political will especially on the part of the lawmakers.

He said the era of patriarchy was gone, therefore they should look into the conventions, and protocols, to which Nigeria has been signatory to, while calling on the lawmaker and Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to remember the national policy on gender and implement the provisions that have to do with women.

According to him, “You will discover that the gender related bills that were brought to the National Assembly on quota system basis, were thrown overboard because the men were against those bills.

“And the reason I don’t know, but however, the arguments must be constructive. If you have laws in place, and the constitutions has said something against discrimination, and the national gender policy stipulates 35percent of women, and you have the INEC guidelines, which is also towards the same aim, then what sort of arguments will throw those bills overboard.

“So, what is happening in the National assembly is unjustifiable and unfair on our women, so our lawmakers must retrace their steps and these bills must be brought back.”

“The guidelines for women participation in politics and public life is already stated in the national policy gender. Now, the incumbent president has done very well in terms of increasing women participation in politics.”

Earlier in her remarks, the Convener, and Lecturer in Politics, Bournemouth University, Miss. Wonu Okunnu, said the goal of the event was to have the academic community come together and discuss the way forward for women participation in politics, and also look at how much influence women have on voters’ outcome.