PRESS RELEASE

 

Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Club of Madrid Member Wim Kok and Dr. Miria Matembe, Former Member of Ugandan and Pan African Parliaments, promote women’s political participation in Nigeria

 

Abuja, November 30, 2007 - The Club of Madrid, in partnership with Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) Nigeria, organized the first of three planned missions to Nigeria from 28th to 30th November 2007. The objective of the high-level delegation was to contribute to the strengthening of female political leadership and, in the long-term, increase women’s political participation and public confidence in women in governance.

The visit was part of an initiative called the African Women Leaders Project (AWLP) funded by the European Commission and the Canadian International Development Agency, to support and strengthen women’s participation and performance in politics and other high level decision making positions for the benefit and development of the countries of focus: Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

The delegation was led by the Former Primer Minister of the Netherlands His Excellency Wim Kok; and Dr. Miria Matembe, Former Member of the Ugandan and Pan African Parliaments, and Former Minister for Ethics and Integrity. The delegation was privileged to meet with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and members of the National Assembly, the Presidency of the Senate, and other Principal Officers of both Chambers. In addition to the aims and objectives of the project, the delegation discussed a broad range of issues concerning the importance of women’s participation in politics and governance. It was pleasing for the delegation to note the level of acceptance of this initiative and the preparedness of the leaders of the National Assembly to support the project.

Specifically, the Senate Presidency represented by the Deputy President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, declared its support for the project and concurred with the need to support women in governance especially recalling the historic role played by women since independence. Sen. Ekweremadu noted the steady progression of women in Parliament and expressed optimism of higher numbers in the future.

At the level of the House of Representatives the Right Honourable Speaker Dimeji Bankole welcomed the project with enthusiasm and pledged his full support to effective participation of women in the Parliament. He challenged women politicians to use their positions to mobilise their fellow women to embrace politics in order to improve the well being of their communities. He urged women Parliamentarians to unite and network with their male counterparts to lobby Parliament to enact appropriate laws for the promotion and protection of women’s rights in Nigeria. He thanked the Club de Madrid for the intention to establish an Internet Resource Centre in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute and WRAPA within the Parliament. He noted that the Centre will be of tremendous benefit and support to both male and female Parliamentarians, and he pledged to provide space for the Centre. At two separate interactive capacity building sessions with male and female Parliamentarians of both Chambers of the National Assembly, the delegation held productive deliberations, at which a number of barriers to women’s political participation were highlighted.

The Club of Madrid delegation also met in Abuja with Civil Society Organisations and international development partners. The meeting provided a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas on ways to strengthen women’s political participation. The delegation also travelled to Bauchi and Plateau States. In Bauchi, the delegation paid a courtesy call to the Emir of Bauchi and the Emirate Council to brief them about the project and solicit their support for it. In Bauchi the delegation also held frank and open discussions with traditional and religious leaders. These discussions mainly centred on traditional and religious barriers to women’s participation in politics. At the end of the discussions, with consensus that misinterpretation and misapplication of religious principles have a negative culture influenceon women’s political participation. The leaders challenged each other to reconsider their role in promotion of women’s political participation. The delegation also had an informative meeting with women leaders, women party leaders and other politicians and aspirants for the Local Government elections for the 20 local governments of Bauchi State.

In continuation of the mission activities, the delegation travelled to Jos, in Plateau State, and was received by the Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Pauline K. Tallen at her office where she shared her experiences as a woman politician. The Deputy Governor later led the delegation to a Town Hall meeting with women leaders, women party leaders and other politicians and aspirants for the Local Government elections. This was an extremely educative and enriching interaction.

The delegation concludes its activities this evening, meeting with the Hon. Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Saudatu Usman Bungudu, and sharing experiences with women Ministers and other high-level women leaders.

In all of our meetings the following barriers to women’s political participation were highlighted. Poverty among women who are disadvantaged by the ‘commercialization’ of politics; low levels of education; lack of awareness of women’s role in politics; misinterpretation and misapplication of religious tenets; discriminatory cultural and traditional practices; absence of appropriate legal framework; women’s citizenship issues (regional demographics); family related issues; negative perception of women politicians; and lack of confidence and courage among women.

Some strategies to address these barriers were identified. Among these are:

1. Constitutional and electoral reforms to entrench the principle of quotas in politics and governance;
2. Institution of mentoring by female role models in governance to encourage women to participate in politics and aspire to attain leadership positions;
3. Capacity building for male and female Parliamentarians to enhance networking beyond partisan lines in order to promote positive legislation around gender issues.
4. Networking with veteran politicians and civil society groups outside the Parliament to create awareness in public about the importance of women’s political participation.
5. Instituting awards and other recognition to reward individuals who support women‘s political participation.
6. Mainstreaming women’s concerns within the Parliamentary standing Committees rather than their marginalisation and isolation in the Women Affairs Committee.
7. Creation of women’s caucus within Parliament to enable to work together on gender issues across party lines.    
8. Institution of a Trust fund and enhanced access to credit facilities and empowerment schemes to leverage resources for women in order to reduce poverty among women.
9. Building and nurturing of their constituency base.
10. Deliberate education towards achieving attitudinal change regarding women’s leadership aspirations.

The delegation expresses its deep gratitude to the political leadership and the people of Nigeria in particular the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the Minister of Women Affairs and Youth Development and her Permanent Secretary; the Government and people of Bauchi and Plateau States, in particular the Governor of Bauchi State through his Commissioner of Women Affairs; the Emir of Bauchi; the Deputy Governor of Plateau State; the State Commissioner of Women Affairs; the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the State House. The delegation also expresses its profound appreciation to the Founder/Chair of Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), the Hon. Justice Fati L. Abubakar for the quality of her organisation and the partnership towards the attainment of the Africa Women Leaders Project’s objectives. Our special gratitude also goes to the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria, the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria, the Honourable Minister, Women Affairs and Social Development, the Director General National Centre for Women Development, and international partners including the National Democratic Institute (NDI-Nigeria) and the International Republican Institute (IRI-Nigeria).

 

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Information about the African Women Leaders Project

The African Women Leaders Project (AWLP) is an 18-month initiative that provides support to women leaders in Sierra Leone and two other African countries. Four missions are being organized to Sierra Leone, where Club of Madrid Members and experts share leadership experiences related to increasing women’s access to decision making in the social, economic and political spheres with political decision-makers. Project activities are structured around three pillars: political leadership capacity building and gender awareness sessions; building of sustainable international networks; and advocacy actions. The project is being implemented in Sierra Leone in partnership with the Campaign for Good Governance and in association with the Network of women Leaders and Parliamentarians. The European Union and the Canadian International Development Agency fund the project. 

 

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Club of Madrid – Democracy that delivers

The Club of Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – 70 democratic former heads of state and government. In partnership with other organizations and governments that share its democracy-promotion goals, the Club of Madrid provides peer to peer counsel, strategic support and technical advice to leaders and institutions working towards democratic transition and consolidation. www.clubmadrid.org

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