June 12: Seiyefa makes case for women, youth inclusion in governance

Governorship candidate of Democratic People’s Congress (DPC) in the 2019 Bayelsa state election, Mrs Seiyefa Fetipigi Eches has called on Government at all levels to use the occasion of this year’s Democracy Day to formulate and implement policies that will empower women and youth participation in politics and governance.

Seiyefa who stated this in a press statement issued on Thursday to mark the Democracy Day, expressed concern that women are grossly marginalised in all aspects of our national life.

She said the continuous recycling of retired and tired politicians is the cause of leadership fatigue that has impeded our democratic process.

She also said it is sad that women who resisted colonial rule are now endangered species in Nigeria, as they are victims of rape and gruesome killings.

She said, “There is no age limit to these dastardly acts of devaluation and defiling of the female folk – babies, girls and elderly women in their 70s and 80s have been consistently raped and some murdered across the country and this happens daily as if Nigeria is a banana republic.

“My heart goes out to Vera Omozuwa, a year-one student of the University of Benin who was raped and killed while studying in a church in the city and Barakat Bello, an 18-year old student of Federal College of Animal Health and Production, Ibadan who was raped and brutally murdered at home. The story is the same everywhere, everyday. Enough is enough.

“I call for death sentence for rapists and urge the National Assembly and various State Houses of Assembly to pass laws in this regard.

“Rape has become a national emergency that must be stopped immediately for the safety of the female folk in Nigeria. Security agents have treated the matter with kid gloves for years as if the lives of women and girls don’t matter.

“The national outcry over incessant rape cases today is a call for drastic action. I urge all patriotic Nigerians and the international community to join in this war against rape and corruption in Nigeria.

“We are all in it together. Together, we shall overcome this national trauma,” she said .

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