2027 Election: Women Afairs Minister Seeks Maximum Women Inclusion

By Wumi Tewogbade, Abuja

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, at the weekend said women inclusion in governance is not optional but necessary conditions for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development. adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The Minister stated this at the national conference of League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV) in Abuja.

She said women advancement is imperative and central to building a stable society.

She noted that the chosen theme: “The Power of Women’s Voices and Votes: A Critical Tool for Electoral Victory,” could not have been more timely or more relevant.

She said, “The outcomes of that meeting reaffirmed a universal truth; that inclusive governance and gender equality are not
optional aspirations, but necessary conditions for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development.

“The advancement of women is not merely a social cause but a global imperative; central to building stable societies, strong economies, and sustainable peace”.

On what the government is doing, she said in order to advance the cause of women in Nigeria, the Federal Government established the Ministry of Women Affairs, “Nigeria took a major step by establishing the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development as the National Institutional Mechanism for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, and replicated the same at the State levels.

“This Ministry remains the cornerstone for coordinating national action, mainstreaming gender perspectives, and protecting
the rights and welfare of women, children, and vulnerable groups”.

She added that guided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, helped the Ministry in advancing transformative reforms that place women, children, the family, and vulnerable groups at the very heart of our national renewal.

The Minister commended the leadership and members of
NILOWV for their unwavering commitment to promoting women’s civic engagement, political participation, and leadership in Nigeria.

“For nearly three decades, NILOWV has remained a formidable voice for gender equality and democracy”, she said.

The Founder of  League of Women Voters of Nigeria NILOWV, Dame Dr. Esther Uduehi, in her keynote message said all Nigerian women are members of NILOWV.

“We are able to bring women from different communities together. As long as you are a woman you are part of league of women voters.

“Exclusion of women does more harm to our society, we need to always create awareness on this”.

She commended all He-for-She because without them they wouldn’t have been able to achieve much.

She also commended the National Assembly (NASS) for what they are doing for special seats for women.

The National President of NILOWV, Irene Awunah-Ikyegh, said the group was able to get over 1.2m signatures for the memorandum in the grassroot for special seats for women in NASS and were able to mobilise over 500,000 women for town hall meeting in Abuja.

She said the group is in all the 774 local government areas in Nigeria. And they have been able to show strength of numbers.

“2027 cannot be decided without the special seat bill being passed into law. That is why 2027 is critical for every Nigerian woman”, she said.