Nigerian women leaders at the forefront of gender cause have lamented the poor representation of women in Nigeria’s political space, calling for legislations to create enabling environment for women to participate in politics.
In a communique dated October 28, 2021, issued at the end of the 3-day National Women’s Conference (NWC), organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), giving reflection of their position, the women argued “there are still not enough women in the political space or at the helm of affairs.”
According to the Committee, “even though women are blessed with the power to transform and recreate anything they are a part of,” there are several inhibiting factors which they noted include: “lack of support and equal opportunities; denial of education for the girl-child, gender-based violence and more, all of which must be overcome to make this a reality.”
The women further observed that national development is incomplete without women leadership, which they said “in its most minute form starts from the home.”
The women further lamented the consequences of work-life imbalance, which they recognised are dire to the individuals and the society. Other observations made by the Committee include: “The Failure of a Family System aids the derailment of future leaders from embarking on a fruitful journey to a greatly rewarding life on the long term and that there isn’t still enough awareness to the fact that certain cancer types are preventable only if detected early enough.
“Many micro, small and medium Enterprises are still not aware of the importance of record keeping and expenditure prioritization to their businesses, even in their individual lives.
“Covid-19 came, hit hard and created a huge vacuum in all spheres of our lives and endeavours, which we are still grappling with even today.
“Improved personal productivity, fulfillment and health are some of the impacts of sexuality and family planning on nation building. Hence, they should be encouraged while downplaying the several myths associated with family planning.”
In their recommendations, the women called on the National and States’ Assemblies to pass laws instituting policies, procedures, actions and expectations that would enable workers to pursue more balanced lives “which would go a long way in achieving success at it.”
According to the Committee, “These could include Flexible work schedules, Paid time off (PTO) policies; Responsibly-paced time and communication expectations; Organisation-sponsored family events and activities.”
The Committee also submitted “that families are the bedrock on which a child should discover the first set of values for life. Hence, families should employ intentional parenting and a healthy co-parenting dynamic, to ensure that the foundation is not destroyed and our children are not at the mercy of external socialising forces which they may not be able to filter for proper development.
“That the government through the relevant ministries/agencies should create robust operational structures (where they do not exist), to fosters the development of a Strategic Family Support/Intervention Policies and Plans which can be mainstreamed down to the Community level to enable parents access the resources they need to actualise stability in their family, environments and raise the quality of their interactions with their children.”
On cancer, the Committee resolved
“That as a people, we should raise awareness and engage in advocacy to encourage screening so that the three preventable types of cancer – Breast and Cervical (for women) and Prostate (For Men) would actually remain prevented.
“That the government through the Ministry of Health and various stakeholders should also institute policies mandating screening for these checks and HPV Vaccination for the girl-child from age 10.”
Recommendations of the Committee reads further: “That as women we should maintain a healthy record keeping, savings and fina
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