Ahead of 2023, ActionAid under its We-You-Pro project has launched a political mentoring programme in Kaduna to train 300 young women and youth eager to participate actively in politics and political mentoring.
The Project Coordinator, We-You- Pro project, Hannatu Hauwan, said the project targets young women and youth in leadership position in political parties and politics away from the current situation where women and youth shied away from active politics for various reasons and are rather engaged as clapping supporters and thugs.
“Today, we are launching the political mentoring programme under the “We-You-Pro” project, which is one of the initiatives in implementing this project in Kaduna state. We had advertised for women and youths who are either already participating within political parties or have interest in the communities to apply to be a part of this mentoring programme.
“We talked to political parties to give us women and youth within their parties who are interested in political mentoring. Our target is 300 women and young people. Women and young people are not participating in politics, as they should, even within political parties. They have been used to clap and serve as political thugs. We have noticed that the political parties are beginning to review their policies to have women and youths in leadership position.
“But we want this to be strategic. One of the things they have been saying is that women and young people do not have the requisite skills and capacity to either participate effectively or to even run for office. So, this political monitoring is developed to support women and young people in strengthening their skills to enable them actively participate within the political party space and even run for elective offices,” she said.
One of the mentors, a Professor of Criminology and Director Gender Studies, Kaduna State University, Hauwau Evelyn Yusuf, said, “as we approach 2023 election, we are looking forward to better participation of women and youth in politics. That is why this hope action and progress mentoring programme is timely because this is the time people are picking expression of interest and nomination forms. We are hoping that this type of programme will encourage women and youth”.
For the Permanent Commissioner, Kaduna State Peace Commission and Trustee of Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women, Barr. Rebecca Sako-John, “It is the right and responsibility of women and youths to participate positively in politics as enshrined in the constitution. We also signed international, regional and national policies that promote young people participation and promote social justice and equality of rights and they have to take that responsibility very seriously”.
