By Justina Auta
Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, says efforts are on to support female candidates vying for various political offices in the 2023 general elections through capacity building to ensure service delivery.
Tallen said this during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Ministerial Forum in Abuja.
According to her, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs with relevant stakeholders’ collaboration, will organise programmes that will further equip female candidates for the positions they are contesting for.
She said “we are planning to have a capacity building programme in conjunction with UN Women to see that women are supported and prepared for the offices.
“We know that politics entails a lot of money because of campaigning. We don’t have money to give them but the capacity building will encourage them.
“We will also intensify advocacy to women. I am using this forum to call on all Nigerian woman to support any female candidate that is contesting election.
“Because we have the numerical strength, we will surely win if we support one another.
“So, I am appealing to Nigerian women, let’s begin to support one another.
“My prayer is for every female candidate to scale through all the elections that are coming so that we can have a better presence of women in all the various offices.
“The more women we have in our houses of assembly and the National Assembly, the better for it for Nigeria because the eyes that the woman sees things is different from the way a man sees things.”
The minister said that giving more political space to Nigerian women would promote development, citing examples of offices headed by women that were thriving well.
She appealed to the next administration in the country to continue with the legacy set by President Muhammadu Buhari and scale-up the 35 per cent affirmative action for women.
“We are appealing that the next incoming administration after President Muhammadu Buhari will continue to do more for women.
“We expect more because we are scaling up and we are praying that unless Nigeria allows women to occupy at least 35 per cent or 50 per cent positions, there will be no meaningful development.
“Development will be faster if more women occupy strategic positions in this country,” she said.
Tallen also commended state governors for supporting, encouraging and giving more appointments to women.
