A women group, known as Coalition of women in Governance, has urged elected members of the 9th Assembly to give Nigerian leadership a human face, by electing a female speaker and picking a female as House leader, saying that Nigerian leadership was too masculine.
The group stated this at a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Chapter Secretariat, Abuja.
According to the convener, Mrs. Ebere Ifendu, women would make the 9th assembly a better one than the previous.
“Let our men know that we have the capacity to be Speaker and the Leader of the House of Reps in the National Assembly. In the context of the Nigerian politics today, it takes courage to be a politician, and for a female to have been elected to the house four times something men have not been able to achieve, women in this front should be given all the encouragement they need.
“And we know that they are there to make sure there is a human face and not this thing men talk about the spoils of war. All the time the women are there to change the narrative and make the 9th assembly better than previous ones,” she advocated.
The group said that Nigeria was too masculine-inclined in terms of leadership, saying it was not working well.
‘’We have an opportunity to break ranks with the norm and demonstrate that 20 years of democracy, Nigeria has come full circle by electing a credible, untainted and passion driven woman to set a new paradigm in leading the House of Reps; and that Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha from Abia State and Hon Kadija Bukar, from Yobe State, who are both fourth-time members of the House of Representatives are eminently qualified,” the group added.
The group called for fairness, equity, geo-political balance and gender equality and geographical balance in the choice of who emerged as the Speaker and the Leader of the 9th House of Reps.
Among those present at the media briefing include, Mrs. Zainab Mohammed, the national woman leader Good Governance Ambassadors of Nigeria (GOGAN), Ebere Ifendu of Women In Politics; Princess Olayemi Joledo who contested for Senate in Kogi West Senatorial District in the 2019; Hon. Omotayo Ishaya, and Esther Uzorma, of the Po-Active Gender Initiatives.
