Studies have shown that having a large number of women in parliament generally ensures stronger attention to women’s issues in the legislature. Women’s political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy.
It facilitates women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women. Women’s equal participation and leadership in political and public life are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Under representation
However, data also shows that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide and that achieving gender parity in political life is far off. It is on this note that Ebere Ifendu, President Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), harps on the need for women to be part of governance process in order to achieve sustained democracy that everyone can be proud of.
“What people don’t understand is that without women being part of the governance process, we cannot have a sustained democracy that everyone will be proud of. What is democracy without inclusion? It is a huge concern for us.
“Governance is inclusive when it effectively serves and engages all people including women; takes into account gender and other facets of personal identity; and when institutions, policies, processes, and services are accessible, accountable and responsive to all members of society,” she explained.
According to the US National Democratic Institute (NDI), democracy without women is impossible. The NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organisation working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. irrespective of this claim, half of the world’s population, women continue to be under-represented as voters, party leaders and elected officials.
Gender bills
Just over 20 per cent of parliamentarians worldwide are women. Nigeria is not an exception. The last 9th Assembly in Nigeria women made an effort to present five gender bills to the National Assembly but unfortunately, the five bills were not passed.
“Women groups went to court to talk about national gender policy because we have the gender policy that the government reviewed and assented to without implementation. “So, we needed to find out if the document is just a piece of paper to be thrown away or a document that is supposed to direct the course of governance and we got judgement against the government and it was clearly stated that affirmative action process must be fulfilled in appointive positions.
“Sadly, enforcement was also a problem because as we speak, there is a superior judgement against that decision and that makes it a law,” Ifendu said.
Gender policy
While lamenting about poor women political representation in Abia State, the question that is bothering her now is why gender policy is not being enforced in the state?
“For instance, in Abia State, we don’t have a woman in the Assembly, we have made series of effort to reach out to the governor to fulfill his campaign promises because he gave the assurance that he will work with women by making them part of governance.
“This is a governor I have so much love and respect for. I know that he is a liberal person with the mission and vision to develop Abia State but this cannot be achieved without involving the women.
“They just released the list of commissioners showing that out of 22 members of the executive there are only three women. What does that mean? Is it that we don’t have qualified women in Abia State?
Is it that women cannot be part of governance? So, we need to get them to understand that we are not going to accept this situation and a letter has been written to him in this regard.”
Legal action
She threatened to sue political office holders who do not keep to the affirmative action judgement. “It is important for us to say this because we are going to list out all those governors that have failed to honour the affirmative action judgement and we will sue them because we need to get the enforcement of that judgement.
It is not an ordinary judgement, but a judgement of a Federal High Court. “In the present 10th Assembly again, the constitution is up for review and different women groups have sent in their memorandum and we are following up because some of us are part of consultants with the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“We are using every opportunity to ensure that these bills are returned. The importance of having legislation is because you can achieve affirmative action, increase in women political participation without legislation.
“When people talk about culture and religion, I tell them, culture will queue behind legislation. “Legislation is a key thing to us. Nigeria is the giant of Africa; why are we lagging behind because other African countries are making things happen.
Women are asking for extra legislative seats to increase women’s political participation.” Ifendu noted that there is so much hunger in the country today and this is because more women are not participating in politics. “If women are participating, we will bring in our motherly instincts.
We know the areas and we would ensure every budget is gender responsive. “At times I look at men object to some of these things and I’m worried. We had a conversation somewhere and somebody said: ‘I spent so much on my girl child and she is working in America.’
“I said to him that America is a place where there is no discrimination – you would have allowed her to come here and then, you will understand the importance of what we are saying.” She called for the support of everyone to keep the country running.
“We need the support of everyone. We need to support our president. We need to help him to get the economy running. We need to support him to end hunger and bad governance but how can we do it when we are not in governance?
“It is important for Mr. President to look back because he made a promise to Nigerian women. What is it about making promises politicians don’t fulfill?
They don’t even know that it dents their image and character. What does that mean? Political parties are not giving women tickets to run. “Talking about local government elections that is coming up, they are not allowing women to buy forms; they are giving it to those they prefer to contest.
“I always say this, it’s a new thing, many countries are out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) because of bad governance and that is why we have military intervention.
“Look at the #Endbadgovernance protests, people were already calling on the military to come in without realising that a bad democracy is better than military rule. It will be chaos for Nigeria if the military takes over governance.
“I want the best for my children. I’m looking forward to having grandchildren and wouldn’t want them to grow in this kind of country because they have taken away my time.
They have taken away all the benefits I should enjoy as a citizen and they have now eaten into my children’s benefits and I won’t watch them eat my grandchildren’s benefits.
“We should fight for it. It is either the government is ready to call us for a conversation or we would take our position of saying enough is enough.”
