Women leaders want Nigeria’s restructuring

THE Director-General, National Center for Women Development (NCWD), Mary Ekpere-Eta; the Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Binta Masi Garba and a former Minister of Women Affairs, Josephine Anenih, were among prominent Nigerian women who on Thursday called for the restructuring of the country.

Speaking in Abuja at an occasion to finalize the Draft Memorandum by Nigerian Women on the Restructuring of Nigeria, they also stressed the need to step up women agenda in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

In her remarks, Ekpere-Eta said the draft document was the outcome of the roundtable dialogue which had in attendance, female politicians, academia, professionals, women with disabilities, market women, female youth and women civil society organizations and the submissions of organizations.

According to her, the document covered the history of restructuring debate in the country, with key ingredients of the debate, where women stand and why.

ALSO READ: PDP chairmanship: South-South, South-East may plot against South-West

She said: “It is expected that this small group of experts will finalise the draft document which was borne out of consensus and wide agreement such that women are willing to uphold, defend and argue its points and resolutions at different levels.

“We expect that the final outcome will be submitted to the Federal Government Committee on Restructuring, as well as National Assembly while ensuring bipartisanship ownership around the women agenda.

“In addition, we are hoping to step up the women’s agenda in the six geopolitical zones of the country and monitor its utilization by various groups on a continuous basis, using all available media,” Ekpere-Eta said.

While revealing that the document was produced over a period of three months, Ekpere-Eta added:
“The 15-man experts that we have, analyzed the drafts and we are going to send them back to Nigerian women for further input and we will come out with a position for the Nigerian women.”

In her remark, Senator Garba said the issue of restructuring was not new in the country, saying it had been with us as a nation for a very long time.

She said: “History has shown that way back in the 50s; restructuring has been on the front burner of women and today, for the first time, for women to come together and name their own voice in the advancement of Nigerian governance.

“And it has shown that women came from all over the country, even some from abroad to have an input on the draft bill that will be sent to the National Assembly on the overall view of what the Nigerian woman is agitating for in terms of restructuring and standing on the path of the Arewa agenda and that of the National confab.

“We are fully in support of the restructuring. Like we said, it is a draft bill. At the end of the day, the common decision of the Nigerian women will be taken and we will see if it will be accepted by the National Assembly,” Garba said.

Also speaking, a former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Anenih, said the draft was of critical importance because the debate on the restructuring of the country cannot be left on the doorsteps of men.

She stated: “We must bring in our own perspectives to the conversations, the demand for restructuring.

“One thing is certain, we as Nigerian women, want this country restructured if we are going to survive as a nation and how do we want it to be restructured? That is what we are brainstorming on now and putting our thoughts together so that we can show and tell them how we want it to be done.

“So, we are looking at all the different agitations. Some are asking for state police; so all those issues that have been talked about, we are teasing them out and looking at them.”