By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
A Non-Governmental Organization, Women in NEED Foundation has organized a one day workshop for women to train them on political participation and to ensure they have the necessary skills that will ensure they achieved success.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Barrister Mrs. Abiola Kamardeen while speaking to newsmen in an interview shortly after the training workshop on the Nigerian constitution and the Electoral Law informed that the workshop is not just to mobilize women but to educate women on the Nigerian Constitution and the issue regarding the Electoral Laws.
According to her, it is also to develop their inner and outer skills to enable them be part of electoral process, adding that there are many factors militating against women’s participation in the electoral process and keep women out of politics in Nigeria.
This she identified as culture and religion, saying the constitution does not allow for discrimination of women participation in politics, and therefore women should scale up and develop their skills for participation.
“Today’s workshop is a follow up to the foundations’ previous visits to various communities within Kaduna state, and the aim is to educate women on the Nigerian Constitution and the issue regarding the Electoral Laws, and to develop their inner and outer skills to enable them be part of electoral process”, Barrister Kamardeen explained.
“We are encouraging the women that there is nowhere it are written, either traditionally or religiously, even under the constitution that a woman should not contest, it is an open field.
“All a woman need to do is to ensure that she have all it takes and that is why we are sensitizing them”.
“With support from every level, a woman becomes stronger and then she has the ability to actually come out to be voted for, so it is not something that will come from the moon, so they have to struggle for a space.
In his remark, the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) Head of Voters’ Education, Mr. John Bulus disclosed that the cancellation of the Local Government Election that was formally scheduled for 22nd of December, 2017 was to incorporate the electronic voting system into the state electoral laws.
According to him, as soon as the laws are ready, the Commission will conduct elections into the various Local Government Areas in Kaduna state.
Mr. John Bulus was of the opinion that the introduction of the voting system in Kaduna State is towards achieving free, fair and credible elections.
“I can assure you that the matches are ready for use and before the election, the commission is going to do more enlightenment programmes to enable the electorates in Kaduna State to know more about the device”.
“SIECOM cannot operate without laws and I can tell you, that is the situation we find ourselves trying to have laws that we can operate on to conduct the Local Government Elections across the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State” he said.
