Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi constituency and Deputy Chief whip of House of Representatives, Nkeiru Onyejeocha, has lamented the unfriendly treatment being received by women particularly in politics.
She insisted that women must receive equal treatment with male counterparts, as humans possessing same rights as the men.
Onyejeocha made the appeal at a banquet to celebrate Nigerian female ministers and legislators, organised by the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), in Abuja.
Represented by the technical director, American Academy Family Physicians (AAFP), Dr. Ejike Orji, the lawmaker, said “as a woman rights activist, I will not say that women are better managers than men or otherwise, everybody should be given equal chances to perform.
“Government should create more opportunity for women. Otherwise, we may be reducing 50 percent of our human race. There are obvious difference in a family that has a graduate as a wife to the one with illiterate.
“You cannot invite women to an occasion to be spectators, to make noise. Invite them on their own levels. The way you invite men, please invite women but mind you, whoever is given chance to appoint people should bear in mind that choice has consequences; at the end you are the one to bear it,” she posited.
NCWS President, Dr. Gloria Laraba Shoda, in her remarks stated that the Council will establish mentorship programme as a platform to build capacity for aspiring female leaders across the country.
She said: “Having conducted a thorough research in the 774 local government areas and the FCT, NCWS, came to the conclusion that we must urgently established mentorship programmes to build the capacity of aspiring female political leaders across the country.
“We felt that in light of the gender disaggregated data at our disposal, initiatives to address the gender gaps in the political space has become imperative.”