Still on women empowerment, affirmative action

The vulnerability of women in the Nigerian society has often generated heated debates. However, this time, NAJIB SANI reports that both vulnerability and marginalisation of women are generating concerns in Bauchi
Most vulnerable group
It has been observed that the debate on restructuring of the country excludes the voice of women especially women at the grassroots, though ‘they are the most vulnerable group’ who are still being marginalised economically, educationally, socially and politically.
Blueprint observes that most of the advocates of restructuring of the nation focus more on the emancipation of their geopolitical regions from perceived political domination and or social injustice. It was also noticed that none seems to bother about the plight of the teeming Nigerian women that face various forms of violence in the society.
Aside from that, the less advantaged (ordinary women) do not understand the restructuring issues, meanings, benefits and the implications.

Fahimta women
It is against this background that a Non-Governmental Organization in Bauchi known as ‘Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative (FAWOYDI) in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria last Thursday, mobilized women in the state and staged a rally to the state house of assembly where they tabled many demands before the lawmakers and advocated the inclusion of women empowerment programs and implementation of the 35 affirmative action in the ongoing restructuring debate in the country with a view to bettering the lives of women.
Our Correspondent reports that before the peaceful demonstration by the women group to the legislative house, the NGO had visited three local government areas of Bauchi, Shira and Warji in the state recently, where they sensitized women at the grassroots on the issue ‘so they could understand the whole concept and give their contributions to the debate’.

Exclude women issues
While at the state house of assembly, leader of the demonstrators Hajiya Binta Adamu, lamented that the proponents of restructuring failed or deliberately excluded women issues such as gender equality bill to uphold women reproductive , citizenship rights, girl child education, as well as women protection against sexual harassment and discrimination in employment and political domains.
According to her, women were promised 35 percent affirmative action decrying that but in reality were given only 6.7 percent in the country at present.
Buttressing her points, Hajiya Binta Adamu, noted that there are only five female ministers out of the 36 at the federal executive council and seven senators out of the 109 senators of the federal republic at the moment.
Other forms of violence experienced by women in the nation she pointed out include; non access to social amenities by rural women, underage marriage claiming that 45 percent of girls in Nigeria are married out before they turn 18 years with the practice as high as 76 percent in Northern Nigeria.
“Women at the grassroots level want to be heard. They want to express their views and contribute actively to nation building. Fahimta Women and Youth Initiative in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria set out to actualize these desires by sensitizing these women on restructuring and giving them a voice’’. She said.
The women who unanimously agreed that there is no need for division of the country as there is unity in diversity however opined that those agitating for division felt marginalized.

Involve more women
They called on the government to involve more women in government and implement the 35 percent affirmative action saying this would bring about better restructuring and help curb most of the problems hindering women from participation in politics and governance.
“Ensure that restructuring must be done within the confines of the law to douse tension occasioned by current agitations for self-determination. Government should engage in dialogue to ensure that agitations for restructuring should be geared towards maximizing the potential of various ethnic groups rather than how to dismember it’’.
In addition to that, the NGO also recommended that the restructuring should promote unity and peace by ensuring that all zones and genders are adequately represented in the government.
“Commitment should be shown to non-discrimination against women by their male counterparts. Federal Government should also find a lasting solution to the ongoing yearnings from Igbos amicably without resorting to or creating violence’’.

Bauchi State House Assembly
Responding, the Speaker Bauchi State House Assembly, Honourable Kawuwa Shehu Damina, represented by his deputy Abdulmuminu Panti, assured that their demands would be discussed by the house and acted upon accordingly.
He added that the message would also be conveyed to his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), so that women would be given tickets to vie for more elective positions in future elections.
“I suggest that women wishing to aspire for elective offices from Councillor up to the office of the president should be given nomination forms free of charge by all parties in order to encourage their participation in politics and governance’’.
The speaker however lamented that the challenge women politicians face is at the polling stations as people usually choose their male opponents even when political parties present the women as their flag bearers’. He ascribed the development to societal norms and conservative notions.
“The Bauchi state house of assembly is committed to passing all bills favourable to women and bills that will empower people living with disability to also per take fully in politics and governance’’. He promised.
Also commenting on the restructuring debate in an interview with newsmen recently in Bauchi, the chairman senate committee on poverty alleviation who represents Bauchi south Malam Ali Wakili, warned that any attempt to restructure the country ‘would spell doom for its future’. Rather than restructuring, he opined that the country’s leadership should be more concerned about improving the living conditions of the citizens.
“The issue of restructuring revolves around the control of resources and that is why people are thinking that the federal government has enormous powers. If we devolve powers, I do not think that we would need to restructure. If we all agree that restructuring means that Nigeria should be balkanized, then the smaller ethnic groups would have no place to go because the issue of marginalisation would continue to resonate even to the lowest level’’. He posited.

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