Senator Kingibe seeks legislative backing for women inclusion in governance

Senator Ireti Kingibe of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has underlined the necessity for new legislation in Nigeria to guarantee the participation of women in administration.

During her Sunday guest appearance on Arise Television, Kingibe emphasized that nations where women hold elected office have shown a strong link between economic growth and women’s involvement in drafting policies and making decisions.

“Let me give you an example in the parties you know,” she remarked. They will only bring male delegates when they want three representatives from each Ward.

The parties will begin bringing in women as soon as they declare that there will be three delegates from each Ward, one of whom must be a woman.

“I’m not trying to say that we are law abiding, but it would help if it was the law, number one.

“Then it means that the onus will be on the parties, government agencies, whatever to look for competent women, do you understand. And, they are there.”

Speaking to the idea that women don’t support one another in elections, Kingibe said that this is no longer the case, pointing out that women are now more conscious of this.

She disclosed that she was working to compile a nationwide database of women voters in order to use them as a lobbying group.

Kingibe remarked, “I’ll tell you the truth: women’s consciousness and thought processes have altered substantially, even though that may have been the case in the past.

“I know that I got a lot of support from women across board, across parties, across everything, number one.

“Number two, myself and some other women are working on creating database of women all across the country. So we can use women voters as a lobby block because it’s not enough to say do something.

“You have to show me that so, if I don’t do it, what will you do? Do you understand. And that would help.

“And the second thing, why women are not voting for women, how many women do you see on the ballot? That is also a problem.

“Even as proactive as I expected Labor Party to be, out of a hundred and nine tickets, maybe only two or three were women, and that is across board.

“So, unless women are on the ballot, you can’t say they’re not being voted for.” She said.

Nigerian women’s representation in the government is still a hot topic in the political sphere.

There are now just four women in the Nigerian Senate.