***Blame INEC’s failure to utilize BVAS for ballot box snatching, violence

The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) in partnership with Center For Women Studies and Intervention (CWSI) have sensitized some young girls to have more interest in governance through the use of internet logic to bridge the gap in gender inequality. The Executive Director of CWSI, Rev Sister Ngozi Frances Uti while speaking in Abuja at a Sympozium on Friday to mark the International Women’s Day celebration, lamented that only three Nigerian women made it to the 10th senate out of 109 seats.

She said if they are going to take any vote on issues that concern the Nigerian women, there is no way their voices would be heard

“Like we were discussing, we have just 3 women who made it to the senate out of 109. Take a look at it, if you are going to take a vote on issues that concern women 109 minus 3, it will give you 106, so if they are going to take a vote there is no way the women voices would be heard, but if you have like 40 to start with at least they will make an impact.”

“How many men will really encourage their wives to go into politics? Think of the odd hour that they fix for their meetings. No man will agree.”It is only men who are enlightened, who trust their wives. If he does not trust your wife, with the type of stigma and stereotyping that we already have, he will believe that his wife is going to sleep with another man, even if the man is not thinking that way, the inlaws and the extended family, they will say ‘she is the one that is ruling his husband, you know ‘wetin she go don give am chop’?” That is the kind of situation, but we want to move away from that, we want more women who are educated and qualified to occupy such positions, and then we wouldn’t have issues, but here we are instead of having more, they reduce further.” That is because the men are not sleeping and they are not sitting down, they really want to make it an all men thing, but we are trying, if you look at it, the men who are there, like the Governors who finish their tenure they want to go to the senate.”The Governors are now losing maybe because they did not do well in their States, and people are tired and don’t forget there is a lot of conscientization this time.”The 2023 election is not like before. People are beginning to know their rights. They are beginning to know that the quarter bag of Rice or half bag will not carry you till the next four years.”People are beginning to understand that the N10,000 you collect today will not last you one month..”People want somebody who will create job for them, people who will speak for them, not greedy lawmakers who will go there to line their pocket, people go there to line their pockets for their children to the Tenth generation.”Uti querried the non deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) which led to the snatching of ballot boxes and electoral violence that characteried the recently held Presidential and National Assembly election.She insisted that ballot box snatching which scares women from participation happened because the instrument that was meant to be used, the BVAS was not put to use accordingly.”I stayed back in my polling unit before I left them at about 10pm because we had finished counting, we had snapped the results, party agents had all signed, but we were waiting for them to upload.”If they had uploaded the way we were told, then there would be no need even if they carried the ballot box and go. That is their own now. What will they do with it.”It was because they did not keep to their promise. We are hoping that the next election, more people will come out.Look at the number, the turnout, how many registered voters we have it is nothing. It is not even half of the 90m registered voters and only 20m came out to vote, something is wrong, and then we know all that happened.

Governance and Peace Building Lead, Catholic Agency for Overseas Developmwnt (CAFOD) Mrs Omolola Mamedu said CAFOD is supporting its partner CWSI to celebrate International Women’s Day.”For us we believe that this is a good opportunity to create some awareness especially for the young girls to begin to have more interest in governance and for this year’s theme that is DigitALL also will arouse their interest on the use of the internet logic as a way to bridge the gap in gender equality.”We supported our Partner at CWSI to celebrate the 2023 international women’s Day to provide information, to create awareness especially our project beneficiaries for them to understand their rights and understand the role that they can also play to bridge the gap with regards to gender equality to embrace equity generally.”Women are marginalised because of a long-term cultural and societal norms. Our society and country are being dominated by men like a patriarchal kind of dominated society.”The women are marginalised due to culture, due to religion, societal labeling, and pressure. We see a society where the women have now taken the backstage so we want to begin to sesitize and change these narratives because we believe that both the male and the female genders are equal, they are also knowledgeable therefore should be able to support and provide their own contribution to the advancement and growth of the society.”So you see a lot of sensitization, advocacies going now, even from different civil society groups and different pressure groups.”You remember the 35% affirmative action where civil society groups did a protest for days at the National Assembly for the lawmakers to affirm the 35% for women without resistance and challenge based on the long-term existing norms.”It is not just a one day thing but gradually people are getting more aware and knowledgeable and we believe that there is no better way to start this than by starting to educate these young ones between the age of 18 to 25 as they begin to grow and take up roles and take up ideologies in the country so they will know how to demand their rights as citizens

“We need to be committed to this course, you need to study, you need to make research, you need to be interested, you can’t get the change by not doing anything so you need to show interest, you need to contribute, you need to be knowledgeable, understand your right take good steps and actions.

“We are not asking you to be violent or create a society of rancor. Know your right as a girl and exercise your right. It starts from the place of knowing, so when they know their rights, they begin to take steps and take action to exercise their rights. No more folding your arms and sitting down, developed yourself. “This sympozium will lead to the training of some young women on digital skills that will also them to become great entrepreneurs in the digital world

Gender Officer Center for Women Studies and Intervention (CWSI) Ewomatome Precious said to celebrate the International Women’s Day they recorgnised the need to bring the girls together to understand what really is meant by digital innovation, “giving them the ideas and letting them see the opportunities that are there in digital age to work together, collaborate and promote equality irrespective of their gender.
“So we have decided to take this creative approach, to play a little shot and expose on what is the International Women’s Day, the benefit of working in the digital space and the dangers that are there for women and girls that use the digital space in terms of Social media and the things they use for their work
“We are hoping that this can expose them to see that there are opportunities online that they can use to advance their career to get jobs, to empower themselves and for them to see that this can really help in improving their freedom as young females living in Nigeria. “We are hoping that after this a lot of them will be interested in the digital skills training that we have planned and then the others will also see that there is an opportunity to research more, to find out more and to go into ICT related jobs because that is the only way we think, we can truly bridge the gap for women who are trying to access technology

“As young girls and women living in Nigeria you will understand that there are some traditional roles working in the agricultural sector, hair dressing and working in fashion and design, but you can also use digital innovations; that is technology to enhance what you already know, to spread it on a global scale and to make more money for yourself thereby improving your freedom and autonomy.”