The Chairperson and Convener of Asiwaju Renewed Hope (ARH’23), Kemi Olokode-Ayelabola has added her voice to the call for gender equality for women, describing it as a moral imperative, as well as a key driver of sustainable development and social progress.
Kemi, a behavioral, developmental and child/young persons care professional currently based in the Republic of Ireland also commended the leadership of the House of Representatives, especially the Speaker, Rt Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (CFR) and the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu (CON) for their deliberate efforts to involve more women in critical decision-making, particularly in elective offices across the various tiers of government.
She further applauded the House leadership for the genuine commitment they exhibited at the international legislative dialogue on women and the constitutional amendment process in Nigeria, recently organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review.
Similarly, Kemi equally gave kudos to the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara for her immense contributions in making a case for the women folks towards societal cohesion, gender parity, political participation/leadership so as to engender national development.
Olokode-Ayelabola stated this in a statement she made available to the media on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 noting that there was urgent need for collaboration and collective action by all stakeholders in tackling legal, social, religious and cultural vices and other societal challenges, that serve as impediments to women’s participation and empowerment in every strata of life.
“I must commend Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, the Chairman House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, for revisiting all the gender-based legislations of the 9th Assembly on women’s participation in politics and other sectorial matters and this is essentially crucial to building a stable and peaceful society and developing policies that respond to the specific needs of women while also creating a place of pride and dignity for them in the society through right legal and legislative frameworks.
“There is, therefore, an urgent need for the women to be adequately represented in political and economic decision-making at every level,” she said.
Continuing, “As Nigeria strives for gender equality, women’s participation in political leadership remains a critical focal point. Sadly women face pitiable challenges in the political arena, therefore necessitating tailored approaches to enhance their opportunities and ensure protection from discrimination must never be compromised.
“I once appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March this year to step up the full implementation of 35% affirmative action of women in public governance and leadership; I have not backed out from this laudable advocacy and thankfully we have a compassionate and listening President who is already taking meaningful decisions in that direction and we must applaud His Excellency for that.
“We must however redouble our efforts to support women in decision-making roles, enabling them to effectively advocate for legislation and policies that advance the interests of women and girls. In alignment with these efforts, there should be legislative and constitutional reforms to ensure women’s equitable access to political spheres as voters, candidates, elected officials, political appointees and civil service executives as the case may be,” Olokode-Ayelabola stated.
