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Lagos Governorship Race: Agbaje, Akele, others sign gender pact
By Josephine Agbonkhese & Anino Aganbi
As significant as they could be to the overall development of any society, issues of gender and women in particular have received very limited attention from political actors during electoral processes over the years.
More disheartening is the fact that the status quo persists even though electoral debates have since 1993 been a recurring part of Nigeria’s electioneering process. Issues of gender, women and children are conspicuously relegated to the background in most of these debates and dialogues.
It was in view of this inimical trend that the first-ever Lagos Gender Dialogue was organised Wednesday in Lagos by the Vanguard Newspapers, Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre-WARDC and Silverbird Television in partnership with Civil Society Organisations- CSOs in Lagos State.
Holistic development
From left: Mrs Morenike Taire, Woman Editor, Vanguard Newspapers; Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, ED, WARDC; Mr Jimi Agbaje, PDP governorship candidate, Lagos State, displaying the gender pact, and Mrs Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Chairperson at the event, yesterday in Lagos. Photo: AKEEM SALAU.
The event which drew a mammoth crowd of women and men from different walks of life afforded electorates the opportunity to engage governorship candidates in the state for positive, holistic development.
The event climaxed with four candidates in the governorship race consenting to the demands of women by signing a 12-point gender pact, indicating the likelihood of a new dawn for the vulnerable groups within the state in the coming administration.
The candidates were Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party; Ayodele Akele of the National Conscience Party, NCP; Oloye Adeniji of KOWA Party and Bolaji Ogunseye of Alliance for Democracy, AD.
Candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Akinwunmi Ambode, was unofficially absent at the event despite having assured the organisers of his participation. That, however, did not take the shine off the dialogue as all four contestants passionately reeled out their agenda for Lagos’ poor majority, particularly women and children, while fielding questions from participants at the event.
The 12-point gender pact endorsed covers primary health care, education, economic and poverty alleviation, decision-making, vulnerable groups, environment, agriculture, road network, water supply, child abuse, violence against women and security.
Hold me to 25% appointive slots -Agbaje
Flag bearer of the PDP, Agbaje, assured women in the state of a minimum of 25% appointive slots in his administration while frankly stating why a promise of 35% was impossible for him.
“35% is a tall order. I believe the problem of women is no different from the problem of the elites; the elites complain but do not participate. Same with women; qualified women hardly want to dare politics but sadly, that is where policies are formulated and implemented.
“I want to see more women move from political activism to real politics; that is the only way 35% can be achieved”, he said.
He further challenged women entrepreneurs and professionals to step into politics so there can be more women to earn the much anticipated 35% slots in appointive offices.
Emphasising his commitment to the safety of children, Agbaje reiterated his support for state policing, stressing that the federal police was already overwhelmed with diverse issues.
35% without impact is meaningless -Akele
Candidate of the NCP, Akele, on his part, stated that a 35% appointive position without impact in the lives of women and vulnerable citizens in the state was meaningless.
According to him, women in the current federal cabinet have done little or nothing to impact the lives of other women and children in the country.
“I have been a labour leader all my life, passed through an indigent background and I know where the shoe pinches.
“35% or not, I will ensure human rights of the highest order in labour. No longer will the so-called Special Task Force on Environmental Sanitation push and arresting poor market women, carrying them in blackmaria instead of going after criminals.
“I will abolish such taskforces because they are agents of terrorism in disguise. I will provide housing for men and women and kitchens in areas populated by the poor, to at least feed them once a day.
“Also, at least 50,000 mass transit buses will be made available. Portable water will flow everywhere. With due respect, when the father of the present governor was sick, he was flown abroad. But for me, my family, commissioners and all, including myself, will patronise Lagos State hospitals. I believe if a thing is not good for me, then it is not good for Lagosians,” Akele said.
You’ll get 50% slots —KOWA, AD guber candidates
Meanwhile, flag bearers of KOWA Party and AD, Adeniji and Ogunseye respectively, vowed to reserve 50% appointive seats for women in the state.
Adeniji said: “KOWA Party was formed in 2009 to specially take care of women and all vulnerable persons in Nigeria. In fact, we will restore the middle-class which has been terribly thinned over the years. First on our agenda is shelter for every Lagosian through mortgage system. I am an environmentalist. I will make sure there is enough green gas for women to cook with so our environment will safe.
“We will reduce the number of children on the streets to the barest minimum by making sure there is a school within one kilometre radius from homes so that children can be in school. We will engage them also with enough extra-curricular activities and also make sure out-of-school children have a skill to fall back on. For the girl-child, special health education will be provided in schools.
“We will make sure you do not spend hours on the road going to your workplaces. More importantly, we will encourage the autonomy of local governments and ensure training of manpower for proper integration.
Above all, women can be sure of at least 50% appointive position in our government.”
Ogunseye on his part said: “I come from a UN background as a former Regional Director and I therefore cannot give 35% of appointive positions to women because that will be going against the actual demand of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, which states that 50% slots should be reserved for women to ensure gender equality.”
Gender equality
Speaking earlier at the event, Mrs Morenike Taire, Woman Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, stated that the initiative was in line with Vanguard’s commitment towards ensuring a better life for the entire nation, particularly women and children.
Executive Director, WARDC, Dr(Mrs)Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, also noted in her welcome address that the initiative became more pertinent following the emergence of very few women candidates in the current electoral dispensation, gross under-representation for women and children in the coming administration.
“Historically, people in political offices do not prioritise gender and women empowerment issues for reasons best linked to ignorance, patriarchy, lack of political will and general apathy towards women’s issues. This has continued to retard world progress and development.
“A 2012 report on gender in Nigeria concludes that an estimated 80.2 million women and girls in Nigeria have significantly worse life chances than men in relation to employment and livelihoods, education and health, political representation, and violence. According to the report, Nigeria ranks 118 of 134 countries in the Gender Equality Index,” Akiyode said.
As significant as they could be to the overall development of any society, issues of gender and women in particular have received very limited attention from political actors during electoral processes over the years.
More disheartening is the fact that the status quo persists even though electoral debates have since 1993 been a recurring part of Nigeria’s electioneering process. Issues of gender, women and children are conspicuously relegated to the background in most of these debates and dialogues.
It was in view of this inimical trend that the first-ever Lagos Gender Dialogue was organised Wednesday in Lagos by the Vanguard Newspapers, Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre-WARDC and Silverbird Television in partnership with Civil Society Organisations- CSOs in Lagos State.
Holistic development
From left: Mrs Morenike Taire, Woman Editor, Vanguard Newspapers; Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, ED, WARDC; Mr Jimi Agbaje, PDP governorship candidate, Lagos State, displaying the gender pact, and Mrs Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Chairperson at the event, yesterday in Lagos. Photo: AKEEM SALAU.
The event climaxed with four candidates in the governorship race consenting to the demands of women by signing a 12-point gender pact, indicating the likelihood of a new dawn for the vulnerable groups within the state in the coming administration.
The candidates were Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party; Ayodele Akele of the National Conscience Party, NCP; Oloye Adeniji of KOWA Party and Bolaji Ogunseye of Alliance for Democracy, AD.
Candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Akinwunmi Ambode, was unofficially absent at the event despite having assured the organisers of his participation. That, however, did not take the shine off the dialogue as all four contestants passionately reeled out their agenda for Lagos’ poor majority, particularly women and children, while fielding questions from participants at the event.
The 12-point gender pact endorsed covers primary health care, education, economic and poverty alleviation, decision-making, vulnerable groups, environment, agriculture, road network, water supply, child abuse, violence against women and security.
Hold me to 25% appointive slots -Agbaje
Flag bearer of the PDP, Agbaje, assured women in the state of a minimum of 25% appointive slots in his administration while frankly stating why a promise of 35% was impossible for him.
“35% is a tall order. I believe the problem of women is no different from the problem of the elites; the elites complain but do not participate. Same with women; qualified women hardly want to dare politics but sadly, that is where policies are formulated and implemented.
“I want to see more women move from political activism to real politics; that is the only way 35% can be achieved”, he said.
He further challenged women entrepreneurs and professionals to step into politics so there can be more women to earn the much anticipated 35% slots in appointive offices.
Emphasising his commitment to the safety of children, Agbaje reiterated his support for state policing, stressing that the federal police was already overwhelmed with diverse issues.
35% without impact is meaningless -Akele
Candidate of the NCP, Akele, on his part, stated that a 35% appointive position without impact in the lives of women and vulnerable citizens in the state was meaningless.
According to him, women in the current federal cabinet have done little or nothing to impact the lives of other women and children in the country.
“I have been a labour leader all my life, passed through an indigent background and I know where the shoe pinches.
Mr Bolaji Ogunseye, AD governorship candidate (2nd right) displaying the pact too.
“I will abolish such taskforces because they are agents of terrorism in disguise. I will provide housing for men and women and kitchens in areas populated by the poor, to at least feed them once a day.
“Also, at least 50,000 mass transit buses will be made available. Portable water will flow everywhere. With due respect, when the father of the present governor was sick, he was flown abroad. But for me, my family, commissioners and all, including myself, will patronise Lagos State hospitals. I believe if a thing is not good for me, then it is not good for Lagosians,” Akele said.
You’ll get 50% slots —KOWA, AD guber candidates
Meanwhile, flag bearers of KOWA Party and AD, Adeniji and Ogunseye respectively, vowed to reserve 50% appointive seats for women in the state.
Adeniji said: “KOWA Party was formed in 2009 to specially take care of women and all vulnerable persons in Nigeria. In fact, we will restore the middle-class which has been terribly thinned over the years. First on our agenda is shelter for every Lagosian through mortgage system. I am an environmentalist. I will make sure there is enough green gas for women to cook with so our environment will safe.
“We will reduce the number of children on the streets to the barest minimum by making sure there is a school within one kilometre radius from homes so that children can be in school. We will engage them also with enough extra-curricular activities and also make sure out-of-school children have a skill to fall back on. For the girl-child, special health education will be provided in schools.
“We will make sure you do not spend hours on the road going to your workplaces. More importantly, we will encourage the autonomy of local governments and ensure training of manpower for proper integration.
Above all, women can be sure of at least 50% appointive position in our government.”
Ogunseye on his part said: “I come from a UN background as a former Regional Director and I therefore cannot give 35% of appointive positions to women because that will be going against the actual demand of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, which states that 50% slots should be reserved for women to ensure gender equality.”
Gender equality
Speaking earlier at the event, Mrs Morenike Taire, Woman Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, stated that the initiative was in line with Vanguard’s commitment towards ensuring a better life for the entire nation, particularly women and children.
Executive Director, WARDC, Dr(Mrs)Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, also noted in her welcome address that the initiative became more pertinent following the emergence of very few women candidates in the current electoral dispensation, gross under-representation for women and children in the coming administration.
“Historically, people in political offices do not prioritise gender and women empowerment issues for reasons best linked to ignorance, patriarchy, lack of political will and general apathy towards women’s issues. This has continued to retard world progress and development.
“A 2012 report on gender in Nigeria concludes that an estimated 80.2 million women and girls in Nigeria have significantly worse life chances than men in relation to employment and livelihoods, education and health, political representation, and violence. According to the report, Nigeria ranks 118 of 134 countries in the Gender Equality Index,” Akiyode said.
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