Female lawmaker, women demand more appointments, elective positions

Benue women on Monday staged a peaceful protest to Government House, Makurdi, to demand for more political appointments and elective positions in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the women held placards some of which read: “Give more political appointments to women”, “Women are tested and proven’’, “Gender justice or no votes’’ and “Women are critical stakeholders too’’.

NAN also reports that women in various positions, including Mrs. Ngunan Addingi, a member of the State House of Assembly, and Mrs. Keziah Agundu, a member of the Benue State Civil Service Commission, were among the protesters

Mrs. Priscilla Achagba, a woman activist, who led the group, told Gov. Samuel Ortom that he had achieved much for Benue but had failed to give women the opportunity to contribute their quota to the growth of the state.

“Your government has failed to give fair representation to women in spite of the massive support they gave you in the electoral contest,” she said.

“I speak for African women in the United Nations; women must be given a fair hearing in my state to embolden me to speak for women in other states,” she said.

In his response, Ortom thanked the women for making the protest a peaceful one, and promised that his administration would continue to be gender friendly.

He said that he would appeal to stakeholders at the local governments to consider more women in their selection processes, and also promised to include more women in his subsequent appointments.

The governor’s wife, Eunice, in her remarks, called on stakeholders to assist the governor toward putting smiles on the faces of women by including more of them in their programmes.

“Benue women are hardworking and will deliver if given the opportunity,” she declared.