FOCEI, NWTF, Ford Foundation seek more women participation in politics

Foundation for Community Empowerment Initiative (FOCEI), in partnership with Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), and Ford Foundation have collaborated on the need to involve more women in politics.

The engagement was geared towards enhancing women  and adolescents girls’ leadership skills and capacity to mitigate gender based violence (GBV) in selected communities in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State.

According to the Executive Director of FOCEI, Mrs Rahab Maina Loh, who spoke during a one-day training  explained that the role of women can not be overemphasized in the society.

She said that women have proven that when they are given adequate opportunities have shown remarkable skills in ameliorating sufferings.

Loh revealed that FOCEI is committed to empowering more women to venture into leadership positions while enhancing their chances to win elections.

She said, “Our intention is to prepare women from the grassroots and we have noticed about the problems arising in our various communities. This training will enable women to tackle issues when they arise.”

Commenting further Loh said the expectations of the training would be to prepare women to become ready ahead of 2023.

“Going by the training that we are having now, there is an Hausa proverb yanzu mata sun waye. They will come out en masse and rule not only in Gombe, Nigeria but globally.

 

 

Also speaking, a facilitator Leah Iliya Jalo, who presented a paper on women in leadership positions.

Jalo said leadership is the ability to engage others and spur them to reach their maximum potentials, lamenting that women have not taken up leadership positions.

She said, “They lack self confidence, self worth and myth that makes them think that they don’t have what it takes.”

Jalo called on women to be part of the process, “they should not just fold their hand and expect it to be handed to them and they can’t succeed without collaborating with the men. It a team work they must negotiate, dialogue in order to go into negotiations you must be fully equipped, equipped, funded. I expect that women will occupy 30 – 40 percent seats in the Gombe house of assembly, because of their level of participation in politics I expect that they will occupy 40 percent of seats as commissioners. Initially, we had three but one has resigned and no replacement has been put forward,”  Jalo said.

On her part, Fatima Bala Sani in her remarks while delivering a lecture on problem solving skills and mentorship skills, encouraged women to be profitably engaged.

“We expect them to go, organise and mentor others. We expect more women to participate more than before,” she said.