The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the just concluded elections, Mr Peter Obi, has restated his commitment to a broad inclusion of women in governance, saying that women play very critical roles in nation-building and must be given a fair chance to participate at high levels of administration, governance and leadership.
Obi made the commitment in his message to mark International Women’s Day 2023.
He explained that the International Women’s Day celebration provides the world with the opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, and political contributions and achievements of women in society.
The former governor of Anambra State said women have continued to excel in many professions, even at global levels while noting that success in life, governance, and leadership is not gender-specific, but open to men and women alike.
According to him, Nigerian women, across the nation, have gained global recognition for their contributions to society.
Obi argued for adequate economic empowerment of women, in the form of access to good education, proper health care delivery, and poverty alleviation, which will enable them to contribute more to societal growth and development.
“Regrettably, girl-child school enrollment has remained poor in many parts of the country, with over 60 per cent of the out-of-school children in Nigeria being female.
“We must, therefore, ensure greater access to affordable and qualitative education for women in our society, to empower them to live more productive lives and play more meaningful roles in nation-building,” Obi remarked.
He further stated that in a nation like Nigeria which is battling deeply-rooted corrupt practices at different levels of governance, women are more likely to be sincere, fair, and just, in the discharge of their duties as public officeholders.
He appreciated all the women who have played different productive roles in the Obidient movement and assured everyone that he would never relent in reclaiming the mandate given to him by the people.
