Caution
Abuja, Oct 22, 2018 (NAN) Senator Rose Oko, a Senator representing Cross River North in the Senate on Monday cautioned women to guard utterances in the build up of campaign for 2019 elections.
Oko gave the warning in a paper presented at a conference organised by Nehemiah Apostolic Centre in Abuja.
She explained that women who were contesting for elective offices must play by the rule and base their campaigns on issues not by insulting opponents.
“Men may do that and get away with it but the the society does not expect that women engage in campaign of calumny.
“Women must be courageous, focus their campaigns on issue based and convey their messages in a more dignified manner” she said.
The Senator decried low participation of women in the politics of the country pointing out that citizens and democracy would benefit more when they were more women in elected offices and in other sectors.
She disclosed that there were only seven females which represents five per cent in the senate of 109 and 20 females in the House of Representatives, representing 5.6 per cent while the male counterpart had overwhelmingly 93 per cent.
According to her, available data shows that out of 1,534 elective positions available at national and state levels in 2015, women only occupied about 86 while the men had 1,449.
“The record is even more depressing at state level, no female Governor in the 36 states of the federation, the closest women have attained is the position of Deputy Governors, which we currently have six of them”
The Legislator attributed the challenges to lack of funds, patriarchy and cultural barrier as well as lack of adequate mechanisms for monitoring electoral outcomes and protecting women’s mandate.
Earlier, the Convener of the conference, Obi Pax-Harry said that the objective was to build capacity of women and the youth for national development.
Pax-Harry noted that every stakeholders must come together to promote good governance in the country.
According to her, her centre is open to collaboration with any organisations both government and non governmental in achieving the goals. (NAN)
