Skip to main content

Women in politics: Striving for genuine change in a rigged system, By Fidelis Nwagwu

Editorial / Opinion Piece / Blog Post

Back
June 14, 2022

Women in politics: Striving for genuine change in a rigged system, By Fidelis Nwagwu

Source: Premium Times

The message seems quite clear that politics in Nigeria is a game for rich, old men, to the detriment of the real change-making demographics - women and youths.

Politics has almost become an exclusive club of male actors, who prevent the participation of women and youths through all sorts of schemes, even in distortion of such significant mileage attained with the NotTooYoungToRun law and movement to enable a freer field of participation in politics by removing eligibility restrictions. For instance, in a number of political parties, the gate-keepers, who are largely rich, old men, have set up ridiculous entry-level requirements, such as the costs of expression of interest and nomination forms, etc.

Almost three decades after the ground-setting decisions of the Beijing Platform of Action, in which the position of women was affirmed positively and there was the determination that, being a very significant half of the world population, they deserve to be at the centre of political decision-making processes that would make the world evolve and grow in a more sustainable manner, it is quite disconcerting what the lot of women, and the youths, remains in Nigeria.

Click here to read the full article published by Premium Times on 7 June 2022.

Region
Author
Fidelis Nwagwu
Publisher
Premium Times
Publication year
2022
Focus areas

The message seems quite clear that politics in Nigeria is a game for rich, old men, to the detriment of the real change-making demographics - women and youths.

Politics has almost become an exclusive club of male actors, who prevent the participation of women and youths through all sorts of schemes, even in distortion of such significant mileage attained with the NotTooYoungToRun law and movement to enable a freer field of participation in politics by removing eligibility restrictions. For instance, in a number of political parties, the gate-keepers, who are largely rich, old men, have set up ridiculous entry-level requirements, such as the costs of expression of interest and nomination forms, etc.

Almost three decades after the ground-setting decisions of the Beijing Platform of Action, in which the position of women was affirmed positively and there was the determination that, being a very significant half of the world population, they deserve to be at the centre of political decision-making processes that would make the world evolve and grow in a more sustainable manner, it is quite disconcerting what the lot of women, and the youths, remains in Nigeria.

Click here to read the full article published by Premium Times on 7 June 2022.

Region
Author
Fidelis Nwagwu
Publisher
Premium Times
Publication year
2022
Focus areas