THE Women Affairs Minister, Dame Pauline Tallen, has called for fair participation, empowerment and inclusion of women in politics and economic development in the country.
She made the call when a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), led by the Senior Political/Electoral Officer and Team Leader, Cluster 1, Serge Kubwimana, paid a special visit to her, to explore areas of possible support by the UN body.
She particularly frowned at the setbacks to women participation in politics in recent times and the failure of the National Assembly to support women affirmation bills.
The UNDP team leader, Kubwimana, said the visit was to assess areas of key institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and political contests either as voting population or contestants to various offices, so as to determine assistance to be put in place ahead of 2023 general election.
Kubwimana also disclosed that the team was also visiting to take care of key areas such as gender equality, fair contest, determining necessary piece of legislation to inform recommendations of the team to UN leadership.
The team was also composed of Team Leader, Governance and Peace Building, Governance and Peace Building, Matthew Alao; Deputy-Director, West Africa Division, Political and Peace-building Affairs and Peace Operations, Jean-Francis Joh Epoko and Electoral/Political Affairs Officer, Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political and Peace-building Affairs, Pascale Roussy.
The team members were dispatched from the UNDP’s Team in New York to join some of their local-based colleagues at the special request of Dame Tallen at the United Nations (UN) last month in New York at the 66th Commission of Status of Women (CSW), 2022.
Tallen used the opportunity of the coming of the UNDP Team to highlight areas of support needed, saying “we need men’s support for women’s participation in nation building and as gender-champions which tend to force the men to do more for participation of women.”
She described the coming of the UNDP Electoral Needs Assessment Team as timely and apt, saying the country desired peaceful and credible conduct of the general election.
The Women Affairs Minister while highlighting need for economic empowerment of women, observed that “Women in spite of their qualifications wouldn’t be allowed to sail through the primaries of most political parties, not even the ruling party.
“Political participation need money, mobilisation, transportation for team that will move with you; advocacy and others and these involve lots of funding. You don’t play politics without money and empowerment is keyed,” Tallen said.
The minister also highlighted the need for girl-child education support from the UNDP, just as she said that everything for girl-child education is domiciled in Federal Ministry of Education.
She, however, expressed happiness that the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Environment (AGILE) project is addressing some of the gaps in this direction.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Bandits Storm Kaduna Airport, Stop Aircraft From Taking Off
- Lagos Socialite Who Distributed Petrol As Souvenir Sentenced To Two Years Imprisonment, Gets Fine Option
“Absolutely, When we came with the Buhari government in 2015 I became the minister. We were committed to a roadmap to establish a National Carrier, to concession the airports, to set up a leasing company, to establish cargo facilities and we have been doing that.”
On why the Buhari government wanted a national carrier, the minister responded: “Nigeria is situated at the centre of Africa, equidistant from all locations in Africa. 30.4 million square kilometres miles, 1.5 billion people, very green land. If Central and Eastern Africa is the belt of the continent, then Nigeria is the buckle. 200 million people and rising middle class, propensity to fly is high. Nigeria is a candidate for National Carrier.”
Sirika who insisted that the coming national carrier will be private sector driven added; “Private. Yes. 5 per cent government and no government stepping right in that company, no government control, no membership of government on board. Totally private and committed.
“Whatever we say we will do as a government since 2015, it has happened. that is why Tim Clark of Emirates, Qatar Airways and all of them are looking to go into Nigeria in multiple frequencies and multiple landing points because Nigeria is the right place for the airline business.
How Workplace Sexual Harassment Forces Many Out Of Their Dream Jobs
FG expresses commitment towards private driven aviation sector
and then