NDI Says Nigeria Number Of Elected Women In Office Worse Than The World Average

By Matthew Ogune, Abuja
National Democratic Institute (NDI) has said that the number of Nigeria women in elected offices was worse than the world average.

NDI Ambassador and Nollywood star, Ini Edo, who stated this yesterday in Abuja after her unveiling as ambassador, added that the situation was even worse than some of the countries within the Africa continent.

Her words: “I am sorry to say the number of women in elected office is worse than the world average and even worse than some of our neighbors.

“Women serve in only one elected seat out of ten in our country and in recent years the number has been declining. We must do better,” Edo said.

The Ambassador said the institute will create awareness around the challenges women encounter that limit their participation in democracy, and the electoral process.

She promised to elicit the support of citizens throughout Nigeria to join the cause for increased participation of women in electoral and democratic processes.

In response to the declining opportunities for women to participate in Nigeria’s political and electoral spaces, Edo stated: “NDI with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting two initiatives aimed at increasing women’s representation in public office.

Under the Supporting Advancement of Gender Equality (SAGE) initiative, NDI is working with prominent Nigerians and Nigerian-led organizations to remove barriers to women’s political participation by advocating for reforms of Nigerian laws and political party policies and procedures.

“The second initiative seeks to
address and mitigate gender-based violence, particularly around elections, to reduce the barriers women face to their participation in politics and elections.

NDI/Nigeria Chief of Party Stephen Snook stated, “To comprehensively address the barriers to women’s equal participation, we need strong advocates who will not back down from the challenge.

“We are proud to welcome Ini Edo as an Ambassador to our program, who wll raise awareness and support women’s political participation all across Nigeria.”

Snook disclosed that the NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen democratic institutions and practices by building political and civic organizations, safeguarding elections and promoting citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.