Ministerial List: 168 women groups kick, write Lawan

 

“PROTEST LETTER ON THE UNEQUAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN, YOUTH AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES IN THE PRESEIDENT’S MINISTERIAL LIST SUBMITTED TO THE SENATE”.

 

We write collaboratively as Nigerian women, professionals and experts representing different regions, ethnicities, social and political allegiances and organizations for youths and persons with disabilities.

We view with dismay and utter disappointment the 87% male dominated ministerial list presented to the Senate by Mr. President. This list maintains and reinforces the historical exclusion of women in the country, ignores the youth and people living with disabilities and thus inhibits the critical goal of achieving meaningful, equitable and participatory national development. The list submitted by Mr. President reneges on the repeated campaign promises by his government and creates a crisis of confidence in the integrity of our elected political leadership.

Therefore, we write to convey a clear message of national importance to the nation, Mr. President, the legislature and those nominated as ministers. We wish to remind you about the unavoidable consequences of failing to use the appointment exercise as a tool to steer the affairs of country towards a desirable and sustainable future. Such a future is as conceived by well received and established best practices and obligations arising from the 2030 Global Agenda of the United Nations.

It is with this in mind that we urge you, your colleagues and other decision makers, to remember the weighty privilege the nation entrusts to the few chosen to serve Nigeria as ministers.

We therefore request that you:

1. Solemnly remind all the distinguished Senators charged with the responsibility of “screening” the nominees for ministers, that more than any other moment in our history, they have a responsibility to Nigerians to act diligently in terms of their engagement with these nominees.
2. That you remind and require them to also serve as advocates and representatives of the millions of excluded groups as well as women of all ages who have a lot to contribute to the future of the country but are ignored and marginalized.
3. That you remind our honorable senators to bear in mind that, what they say and do as leaders in chambers, can positively advance our collective existence which in actual reality should mirror the country’s demographics, with a focus on equitable gender representation as well as the inclusion of diverse skills, expertise and knowledge.
4. That you encourage all senators to speak up and challenge government at all levels on the matter of women’s inclusion. Specifically, that they demand that equity is done in terms of the numbers, spread, roles and location in governance and government by female nominees (such that the few women on any list are not consigned to insignificance).
5. We ask that Senate draws the attention of the President and governors to Nigeria’s commitment to several National and International obligations such as the United Nations SDGs – which specifically put an onus on Nigeria to dramatically improve on its embarrassing levels of inequality.
6. We ask that Senate note in particular, that 30-35% has been reserved in some national policy documents, and that within our National laws, there are provisions that categorically call for the inclusion of youth (not too young to run) and persons with disabilities. We ask Senate to recall and operationalize the provisions of the 2006 National Gender Policy and the constitution of the ruling APC on these issues).
7. We ask you and other distinguished Senators to send a clear message to the Executive that women and other groups excluded from fair representation are your political constituents. As responsible leaders/ representatives of the people, we ask you to object to any list by the Executive that significantly excludes your constituencies who have informed you of their desire to be fully involved in the issues that affect them.
8. Lastly, we insist that the inclusion of constituents is actually an indispensable strategy for stemming the multi-faceted dimensions of political, social and economic crises facing Nigeria.
9. Dr. Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC)
10. Ms. Ebere Ifendu, Convener, Women in Politics Forum (WIPF)
11. Dr. Felicia Onibon, Founder, 100 Women Lobby Group
12. Dr. Nkoyo Toyo, CEO, Gender and Development Action (GADA)

Signed by

1. ACTs Generation
2. ADEM Community & Human Development Foundation
3. Adinya Arise Foundation (AAF)
4. Advocate for Health and Development Initiative
5. African Women’s Initiative (AWI)
6. Ajegunle Community Project
7. Alliances for Africa (Afa)
8. Aminchi Women Cooperative Society
9. Arise Nigerian Woman Foundation
10. ATATA Development and Empowerment Foundation (ADEF)
11. Briskila Emefesi Women Foundation (BEWOF)
12. CEE-HOPE Nigeria
13. Center for Economic Empowerment And Gender Activities Ceega
14. Centre for Alternative Development and Self-Enhancement (CEADESE NG)
15. Centre for Health and Development in Africa (CHEDA)
16. Centre for Nonviolence and Gender Advocacy in Nigeria (CENGAIN)
17. Centre for Peace Education and Community Development
18. Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN)
19. Change Managers International Network
20. Charity Women Spring of Salvation
21. Chedal Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society
22. Choung-Dung Women Association.
23. Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS)
24. Christian Women in Nigerian Politics
25. Community and Youth Development
26. Community Education Advancement of Peace and Development Initiative (CEAPDI)
27. Community Initiative for Healthy and Peaceful Society
28. Community Life Project (CLP)
29. Community Rescue Initiative (CRI)
30. Community Women Initiatives
31. Courageous People Health and Development Initiative (CPHDL)
32. Courageous People Health and Development Initiatives
33. Daria Media Foundation
34. Development in Practice Gender and Entrepreneurial Initiative (DIPGEI)
35. Dorothy Njemanze Foundation
36. Dream Alive Women and Orphans Support Foundation (DAWOS Foundation)
37. Echoes of Women in Africa Initiatives
38. Education as A Vaccine (EVA)
39. Emerge Women
40. Empowerment and Action Research Centre
41. Enough is Enough Nigeria
42. Equality Through Education Foundation ( ETEF)
43. Equity Advocates (EA)
44. Equity Advocates/ The Woman Today Newspaper
45. FAME Foundation
46. Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON)
47. Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN)
48. Federation of Paralegal Network (FEDPAN)
49. Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)
50. Fembridge Development Initiative (FEDI)
51. First Future Leadership
52. Forward in Action For Education, Poverty And Malnutrition (FACE-PAM)
53. Gender Action Awareness Trust (GAT)
54. Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative (GAJI)
55. Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN)
56. Gender and Development Action (GADA)
57. Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative (GERI)
58. Gender Awareness Trust (GAT)
59. Gender Development Initiative
60. Gender Equality Center
61. Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre
62. Gender Technical Unit (GTU)
63. Girl Child Advocacy and Education Initiatives
64. Girl Child Africa
65. Girl Child Education, Care & Rehabilitation
66. Girl Education Rehabilitation and Care (GERAC)
67. Green Spring Development Initiative
68. Hadis Foundation
69. Heal Disability Initiative
70. Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON)
71. HEIR Women Development
72. Hope for New Life
73. Inter Africa Committee (IAC)
74. Inter Gender Peace Foundation
75. International Action Network on Small Arms Women Network of Nigeria
76. International Hairstylists, Barber and Body Therapists (IHSTOBAN)
77. International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH)
78. Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation
79. Jamatul Nasir Islam, Women Wing
80. Jana Health Foundation
81. Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC)
82. Justice Development and Peace Mission (JDPM)
83. K/Mashi Gamji Women
84. Kebetkache Women Development and Resources Centre
85. Kimpact Initiatives
86. Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND)
87. League of Queens International Empowerment
88. Lift Initiative
89. MBULA Women Association
90. Media & Teens Network.
91. Media Concern Initiative
92. Mojubaolu Olufunke –Okome
93. More Women in Politics
94. Nasrul – Lahi-L- Faith Society (NASFAT)
95. National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ)
96. National Council of Women Societies (NCWS)
97. Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, NRHJN
98. Next Initiative for Gender Actions (NIGA)
99. NGAS Women Farmers’ Cooperative Society
100. Nigeria Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ)
101. Nigeria Labour Congress, Women Committee
102. Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT)
103. Nigeria Women Trust Fund
104. Nigerian League of Women Voters
105. Nigerian Women Politics Forum
106. Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NTWF)
107. Ogayem Merciful Care and Support Initiatives (OMCSI)
108. Ogun Women Alive
109. Onomese Foundation
110. Osi Joe Touching Lives Initiative
111. Ovie Brume Future Leadership Development
112. Partners West Africa
113. Peasant Dragnet

 

114. Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI)

 

115. Project Alert on Violence Against Women

 

116. Rays of Hope Community Foundation

 

117. Relief Development Initiative Kaduna

 

118. Responsible Citizenship and Human Development Initiative

 

119. South- South Professional Women Association

 

120. Stephanie Peace Building Development Foundation

 

121. Support for Needy Children and Women Initiative (SUNCHI)

 

122. SWOFON National Abuja

 

123. The Inclusion Project (TIP)

 

124. The Priceless Jewels Foundation

 

125. Transformation and Development Center (TDC)

 

126. Transition Monitoring Group

 

127. Tunde & Friends Foundation (TAFF)

 

128. UC Women Commission

 

129. Vision Spring Initiatives (VSI)

 

130. Voice of Ogun Women (VOW)

 

131. WADHI

 

132. West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP Nigeria)

 

133. Widows Development Organization (WiDo)

 

134. Woman-Being Concern Nigeria

 

135. Women & Youth Awareness Empowerment Network (WOYAEN)

 

136. Women Advocacy, HIV Prevention and Other Diseases (WAHPOD)

 

137. Women Advocates Research And Documentation Center (WARDC)

 

138. Women Aid Collectives (WACOL)

 

139. Women and Youth Empowerment for Advancement and Health Initiative (WYEAHI)

 

140. Women Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON)

 

141. Women Empowerment and Initiative Development

 

142. Women Environmental Programme (WEP)

 

143. Women Farmers Alliance

 

144. Women for Peace and Gender Equality Initiative

 

145. Women for Peace and Gender Equality Initiative (WOPEGEE)

 

146. Women Foundation Initiative

 

147. Women Foundation of Nigeria (WFN)

 

148. Women Foundation of Nigeria (WFN)

 

149. Women in Africa Initiative

 

150. Women in Agriculture

 

151. Women in Mining

 

152. Women in Politics Forum (WIPF)

 

153. Women Information Network (WINET)

 

154. Women Initiative for Democracy and Empowerment (WIDE)

 

155. Women Law Development Center of Nigeria (WLDCN)

 

156. Women Lead Agric

 

157. Women League For Peace And Freedom (WILPF)

 

158. Women of Vision Development Initiative

 

159. Women Protection Organization (WOPO)

 

160. WOMEN RADIO 91.7

 

161. Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN)
162. Women, Infants and Children Care Initiative (WICCI)
163. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
164. Women’s Right to Education Programme
165. Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP)
166. Women’s Right to Education Programme (WREP)
167. Youth Future Savers Initiative
168. Coalition on the Inclusion of Women in Governance