Osun 2022: Adefila, media chief executive, charges women, youth to play active roles in politics

A few weeks to the commencement of the governorship election in Osun State, women and youths were on Tuesday charged to get themselves integrated into the country’s polity to be part of decision-making in the governance of the nation.

The charge was made by Dr Femi Adefila, the Chief Executive Officer, Rave FM 91.7 and the Osun State Coordinator of the United States Government Exchange Alumni Association, at a town hall meeting organised for political stakeholders in the state.

Speaking on the theme: “Increasing Women and Youth Participation In Politics and Electoral Processes” at the programme held in Osogbo, the state capital, Adefila stated that, “this period is the most auspicious for youth and women’s participation, especially as the Osun gubernatorial election draws nearer.”

According to him, “women and youths, who constitute 101 million and 33.3 million of Nigeria’s population, should be encouraged to participate in politics.

“We want to sensitise them, to galvanize their interests and their consciousness that it is a civic responsibility that we should take very seriously. Do you imagine 101 million women and 33.3 million being passive and not active in politics?

“We told them there are no polling units on social media, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, you need to be active. You need to leave the comfort of your home, go to the polling units and perform your civic responsibility. That is the only strategy for you to use to elect your leaders. Enough of complaining and enough of gang-standing; it is time for active participation.”

While expressing displeasure at the lukewarm attitude of women and youth in politics, he said they needed to be encouraged to make it serious.

According to him, “In a few days, we are having the Osun State election and next year, we are having a Presidential election. How do we have active participation and an inclusive democracy?

“In Nigeria, we have 101.67 million women and 33.6 million youth, and through democracy, they are not active in politics as they should be in our democracy and democratic process in the essence of it how do we encourage women, and more youth to participate actively in the electoral process to sensitize them to make the electoral process very seriously.

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“You have to leave your home, go to the polling unit and exercise your civic right. That is the only strategy for you to elect the leader of your choice. Enough of complaining. It’s time for active participation in the election processes so that the leader of your choice can be selected by you.

“This is the most suspicious time to raise this kind of narrative to the consciousness of the people, this is the time to take it to the people that it’s important that they take their civic responsibility seriously, and it’s acceptable for you to complain thereafter if you fail to participate in this process now because you are giving a great opportunity to elect a leader of your choice and do not sell your vote.

“Women have not been participating and they should be. We need to let them realize that they should step up and participate in politics. It’s not about agitating, it’s about negotiation and active practice in politics.”

Also speaking at the event, a woman participant, Elizabeth Omojoyegbe remarked that “there should be a platform to sensitize youth and to be oriented about electoral processes adding that the youth are ready.

“They want us to participate but there is no platform for it to sensitize the people, we are ready to participate but there should be a platform for it and there should be empowerment from different organisations.”

The programme which attracted the presence of many stakeholders in the state also had in place, panellists who were actively involved in the sensitizing of youths and women on the electoral processes.