NCWS harps on relentless advocacy for women’s inclusion in governance

By Stanley Onyekwere

Women under the umbrella of the National Council For Women Societies (NCWS) have reiterated resolve to not relent on advocating for inclusion of more women in strategic leadership positions especially in government.

The council however, stressed the need for women to support each other while making decisions geared towards the success of their fellow woman who has courageously indicated interests in a position in government. 

According to the immediate past National President of NCWS Nigeria,

Mrs. Gloria Shoda,  one of her major advocacies throughput her reign in office, was centered on ensuring that women in Nigeria are included in government.

Shoda, who spoke during the just concluded 2022 NCWS national convention, in Abuja, noted that her Adminostration relentlessly carried out advocacy on important social issues, in the following sectors which range from politics, maternal health and safe motherhood initiatives, girl child education drug abuse, memoranda on social legislation and constitution reviews to affirmative action, peace, conflict resolution, and elections. 

“We remain in the forefront for the call for 35 percent of affirmation action for Nigerian women in elective and appointive positions and hence align with the most recent call for the party in access to programs and projects, our country, as well as the mainstreaming of gender equality. 

“During National Dialogues with various cultural and professional groups, NCWS promotes the interests and aspirations of women at the center of the main issues. We paid a courtesy visit to the Council’s Grand Patron, the First Lady, Dr. Aisha Buhari, where we appealed to her to please advocate His Excellency, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on behalf of women, for 35 percent of appointments to the Federal Executive Council and decision-making posts in general for women.

“We made two visits to the leadership of the Senate in the eighth and current Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Dr. Alhaji Ahmad Lawan respectively. During our Senate advocacy visit in 2016, we were allowed to raise the pertinent issues facing Nigerian women with Dr. Saraki, as part of our push for gender equality with members of the National Assembly.

“In further recognition of our contributions to legislative development, the Senate in June 2017 invited NCWS to present a paper during the public hearing on a proposed bill to establish the National Commission for Peace, Reconciliation, and Mediation. 

“Our Paper noted several gaps in the Bill and we insisted that the involvement of women in peace building and peace resolution mechanisms in Nigeria are nonnegotiable. So, we called for the Bill to be reworked to decisively include the role of women”.