Speaker says men suppress women in Nigeria’s politics

chika ebuzor

September 28, 2017 7:30 PM

Dogara said this at the 2017 edition of the Women in Parliament Summit organised by the House Committee on Women in Parliament in Abuja.

Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has attributed the non-realization of the 35 per cent representation of women in government to men’s domination, particularly those in decision-making level.

Dogara said this at the 2017 edition of the Women in Parliament Summit organised by the House Committee on Women in Parliament in Abuja on Thursday.

He urged the executive at federal and state levels to change the current situation of poor representation of women in high public offices by appointing qualified female professionals into top positions.

The speaker said that it had become imperative for the country’s leaders to match many years of promising gender parity with action as countries that had embraced women’s participation in politics and governance had done.

“Women have paid their dues in Nigeria, tempered by years of struggle for economic, social and political emancipation.

“They have borne the pains of this struggle with grace just like a woman in travails. Our strong women know how to endure these pains that only strong men can heal.

“Why does success still seem far-flung? To my mind, that is the case because we, Nigerian men, are too weak and insecure.

“Anywhere in the world where women fall, it has always been due to lack of strength in men. Must we continue to crush our women in order to continue feeling powerful?

“Nigerian men must grow up knowing that we are the ones to make possible what our women are struggling for, not the women themselves.

“Although, women must never give up the fight or struggle until victory is won,’’ he said.

Earlier, Chairperson of the committee, Rep. Evelyn Oboro, had urged participants to make critical interventions to equip female aspirants with the right skills to deal with challenges that came with running for elections.

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“This summit intends to keep the gender agenda at the heart of public discourse.

“It also seeks to help more women and women groups in preparation for 2019 elections, starting with active participation in the ongoing process to ensure an engendered outcome,’’ Oboro said.

The theme of the summit was “2019 and Beyond: Women and National Development”.

chika ebuzor