Nigeria urged to emulate Kenyan quota system

African parliamentarians on Wednesday called on Nigeria to ensure the inclusion of a quota system in the constitution to increase women’s participation in governance.

 

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that for Nigeria to be the true big brother of Africa, equal representation of men and women in decision making processes must be ensured. The women spoke against the backdrop of the Nigeria Women Strategy Conference, which held in Abuja from 17 to 18 February, with the theme 'Building Bridges of Opportunities: 2015 and Beyond'. A parliamentarian from the Kenyan Parliament, Ms Maimuna Mwidau, told NAN that there was need for all societies to emphasise on proportional representation for development to occur.

 

This, Mwidau said, should be on the basis of total removal of discrimination and inequalities that stood against women's participation.

 

"There is so much pressure and discrimination of women; people believe that you must conform to pressures of life, marriage, having children and keeping a home. "Most societies believe that women should not play a part in governance processes; this should not be so, everyone is a stakeholder in governance processes, be you a man or a woman.

 

"The Kenyan quota system has not only increased the number of women in parliament but also buttressed the notion that more women means approaching legislation through a 'gendered lens'." She urged Nigeria to review its constitutional provisions to accommodate a quota system, saying this was the smart thing to do.

 

Mwidau stressed the need for Nigerian women to support one another when contesting in elections, adding that the place of unity among women could not be overemphasized.