“Women deserve 40% nomination in the next administration”

Victoria Praise Abraham, media expert and motivational speaker, spoke with KEHINDE OLATUNJI about the role of women in politics and why they should be more recognized in the next administration.

Women are marginalized in politics, what role do you think they can play in the 2023 elections? dates back to the time of our independence, 62 years ago.

Victoria Praise Abraham, One

This is a huge problem that cannot be solved overnight. Women are present in all spheres of our lives as teachers, doctors, musicians, entrepreneurs, businesses, educators, tech innovators, journalists, and more.

They do well in every field they find themselves in, even sometimes than our male counterparts due to their multi-faceted skills which are nurtured by mothering at home.

Unfortunately, when it comes to politics, women are pushed into the background and only used to gain votes and then pushed aside when it comes to the spoils of politics. They are used and discarded until the next election cycle.

It's hard to say what role they can play in the 2023 election because all the different political parties are fielding mostly men for elected office and all the women are just holding big rallies sponsored by the bigwigs male politicians.

I really don't see anything significant that will change in our body politic in the 2023 election, as the three main candidates - the Labor Party (LP), the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress of All Progressives ( APC) do not. have a clear specific role for women. All they have are women leaders mobilizing other women to vote for these political bigwigs.

Women need to realize their power and move forward. They have the power in numbers and they can come together and mobilize to support other stronger women who can run for president or governorship in future election cycles. Honestly, I don't see that happening in 2023.

So you think that women are not recognized enough in the political affairs of the country? Absolutely not ! Women are just a tool to win elections, and this is evident in the current ratio of women running for president and governorships in Nigeria.

Even in the Senate, you can see the number of women represented. It is sad that after 62 years as a nation, we still do not see the need for women's full participation in politics.

Women in politics have been marginalized for too long and women need to sit down together and find a permanent solution to the problem. It seems an African problem that our men think the woman's role is in the kitchen and in the other room. There is always this feeling that they are doing women a favor by giving them the crumbs on the table when there should be at least a 60/40 turnout ratio in all political strata of our nation.

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How can women influence the space to be more relevant? They can influence the space to be relevant by coming together, grouping and organizing. Our nation's women and youth from the largest voting population so that women can organize with youth to form a formidable team that can make way for greater youth and women's participation in politics. /p>

Leadership/politics takes time and energy; do you think women have a chance? Women have a chance and it is being played out on a global scale with the leaders of the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands and the head of the European Union, to name but a few. It will take time, concerted effort and a well thought out plan.

I celebrate the work of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), with Alero Ayida-Otobo...