Kano Emir Tasks Women to Vote for Gender Sensitive Leaders

Kano Emir Tasks Women to Vote for Gender Sensitive Leaders

By Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, has challenged Nigerian women to vote for leaders whose electoral campaign prioritises promotion of women welfare and detest abuse against women in the society.

The Emir made the call at his palace during a courtesy visit by The Strong Women Network Tuesday, as a prelude to the launch of its maiden project in Kano, in an all-female conference with the theme: “Matters Arising to Afresh Womanhood.”

Sanusi also regretted that no aspirant for the 2019 general election has included women development in his/her campaign, stressing that: “It is high time women started to scream out and protest against this development.”

He urged them to work against the interest of any leader who does not represent them well, adding that: “Women have suffered too long in silence, just as the populace has lost sense of the choice of what we want in a leader especially in Northern Nigeria.”

Emir Sanusi further hailed the group for the launch of a platform where young girls and women can be inspired, while challenging them to ensure that “it does not end in mentorship but you should work hard to see that at least, a woman is elected into the state House of Assembly in Kano so that laws that protect women against violence especially in marriage would be enacted and implemented as it is being done in other Muslim countries like Egypt and Algeria”.

Speaking earlier, convener of the group, Yasmin Obadaki, noted that the maiden conference, was put together to address the challenges being faced by women in today’s society especially in career pursuit, family life, entrepreneurial culture, health, politics and nation building, among others.

The conference featured discussions led by high-profile and influential women achievers in the society including the first female and current Branch Controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Kano State, Hajiya Ameena Pindar Abubakar, who spoke on “Women in Leadership”, and a renowned expert obstetrician and gynaecologist, Prof. Hadiza Galadanchi, who addressed “The Role of Women in Maternal Mortality.”

All the speakers during the conference stressed the need for women to support each other and contribute to national development by making impact in their own little way, through their respective works.

They also discussed the importance of girl-child education as the bedrock of societal development.

There were also plenary and breakout sessions led by two teams of panelists comprising career and family women, politicians and entrepreneurs who discussed and answered questions on the topics: “A woman’s work-life balance” and “Women as the biggest Challenge to Female Entrepreneurs.”

Other highlights of the event were exhibition and sales of different items by Kano-based brands at the conference stalls as well as networking among the participants.

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