In the bid to increase women participation in politics and governance, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), United Nations Women, in conjunction with the Canadian government has organised a two-day training with the theme, “Enhancing Representation: Female Legislators Constituency Outreach in Nigeria” In Ogun state.
The training which was facilitated by the member representing Ikenne, Sagamu and Remo North Federal constituency Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga had 300 participants drawn from various women groups in the constituency.
Speaking during the training, the representative of NILDS, Titilayo Daniel, decried that from the local to the national level, women’s leadership and political participation are restricted.
She added that women are underrepresented as voters, as well as in leading positions, whether in elected office, the civil service, the private sector or academia, despite proven abilities as leaders and agents of change.
“It is an established fact that, Nigeria is home to millions of women whose potential remains largely untapped due to structural, social, and economic barriers.
“Women’s political participation is not just a matter of fairness; it is essential for the health of our democracy. When women are included in decision-making processes, societies prosper.
“It has been demonstrated globally that women in leadership promote more inclusive policies, tackle poverty and inequality more effectively, and prioritize issues related to education, healthcare, and social justice.
“The current political landscape still reflects the stark gender disparity. As of now, women make up less than 10% of the members of the National Assembly. This means that the voices of more than half of our population are largely absent in critical decision-making bodies.
“This is rather an embarrassing statistics for Nigeria as the giant of Africa when compared with other African countries such as Rwanda with 61.3%, South Africa with 46.2%, Malawi with 41%, Sierra Leone with 30.4% of women representation in Parliament”, she said
She however said, “NILDS with support from UN Women, is providing training for women politicians to help build their capacities on gender equality.”
The keynote speaker Terta Gbahabo, speaking on the paper titled, “Legislator-Constituency Relationship” highlights the challenges legislators faced in democratic deliveries.
“Limited budgets, inadequate supporting staff, lack of time and unrealistic constituents demands are some of the major challenges faced by legislators in delivering the dividends of democracy to their constituencies”, he noted