- By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ekiti State Chapter, Rev. Dr. Adeyinka Aribasoye, has described as unfortunate the employment of thuggery, hooliganism and other social vices by Nigerian politicians, saying these tendencies have given negative narrative to politics and politicking in Nigeria.
The CAN boss stated this in Ado-Ekiti on Friday at 2-day Consultative Meeting with Stakeholders in Ekiti state organized by Hope for Family Development Initiative (HFDI) and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office’s Funds of Institute Fur Auslandsbeziehungen (IFA), with the theme “Advancing Women’s Political participation through Female elected Candidates in the Southwest Nigeria.”
He said, “We are practicing bad politics in Nigeria, a politics of hooliganism and violence because If you are not stubborn and violent, you can’t venture into it.
“As CAN, we agree that our women should participate in politics. Use your elective capacity to support your own. If you support each other, nobody can defeat you as a result of your population”, the religious leader stated.
Speaking with journalists, the Programme advocate, Abisola Ariwodola, said the purpose of the meeting was to ensure that the government implement the 35% affirmative action of women participation in politics beyond mere paper work by giving them juicy positions.
Abisola, who is also the Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Osun State Council, enjoined women to support their fellow female candidates in order to enjoy the dividends of their struggles.
Her words, “Most governments, they are not in compliance with the 35 percent affirmative. This project is about advocating for the implementation of this 35% affirmative by changing the narrative of being just a mere paper work thing to being a legal equipment that can be used to advance women political participation.
“To our women, this is the time for them to come out en mass and support each other. It is one thing for a woman for have aspirations, it’s other thing for other women to support them. We are looking to having a woman president, governor and senate president.”
In his remark, the Oba Ala, Olorisa of Ekiti State, Ojo Folorunsho urged the women to be submissive to their husbands in order to receive massive support whenever they want to vie for any political post.
On her part, the Chairperson of Ekiti NAWOJ, Alhaja Fatima Bello charged women not to settle for supporting leadership role but to contest for the major seats.
She also urged them to turn up for reviews on national issues on Radio, Television, which will build their profile to express their intention.
