FCT Council’s Election: Candidates promise to empower women, protect their rights
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) candidate for Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Eric Ibeh has promised to protect the rights of women by ensuring that 80% of political appointments are given to them in the FCT, if elected as chairman.
He stated this during the FCT Council’s Chairmanship debate organised by the Engage, Empower, Educate Initiative, under the platform of Pink Vote Movement, at the weekend in Abuja.
According to him, women are good managers but shy away from political appointments due to the lack of a valid support system but with his proposed women empowerment agenda, more women will be appointed into office.
“About 1,285 women and girls in the FCT roam the streets every night in order to afford food and other basic necessities for their families, this is very disheartening and the figures are alarming.
“Meanwhile, the people we are talking about here are our wives, sisters and our daughters. So, we have to do what must be done to get them off the streets.
“Against this backdrop, we have identified some civil society organizations that are ready to collaborate with the government to ensure that we give these women and girls a better life.”
He also promised to run an “open document” administration, stressing on accountability and transparency during a one-tenure period.
Also speaking at the debate, the candidate of the National Rescue Movement, Hon. Minabo Horsfall, said that she will focus on Scholarships, sponsoring young girls and women back to school to acquire skills to pursue their goals, if elected.
Horsfall, the only female candidate, said that her biggest plan for the women is collective prosperity for them through empowerment and education, adding that she will put a scholarship structure in place for bright and exceptional students from indigent backgrounds.”
On the issue of making public the internally-generated revenue of the Abuja Municipal Area Council on a quarterly basis, she said her administration will be as transparent as possible.
The Africa Democratic Congress flag-bearer, Mr. David Zamani, on his part, promised to ensure a strict enforcement of laws against gender-based violence, if elected.
“My basic agenda for women is to present them with basic and social amenities, we will also provide them with relevant skills for empowerment as well as protect them through the strict enforcement of the laws against gender-based violence.”
Earlier, the Executive Director of Engage, Empower, Educate Initiative, Belema Meshack-Hart, explained that the ‘Pink Debate’ was organized to mainstream gender-based issues in Nigeria’s electoral system.
He noted that women’s concerns were typically regarded as non-consequential to party and electoral politics, hence, the need for a public discourse where those seeking elections to political offices will focus solely on issues around the African woman and the girl child with a view to achieving a system where gender-based issues take center-stage
