Vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Kashim Shettima has assured his principal Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will run women-friendly government if elected.
Shettima recalled that the APC standard bearer was the first Governor in Nigeria to appoint a woman as Deputy.
Shettima spoke at an event organised by women under the umbrella of Voice of Women to interrogate presidential candidates on their plans for women, when elected
The event was co-sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA Nigeria) in partnership with Affirmative Action Initiative for Women and Women FM 91.7.
According to him, the Tinubu-led administration will promote women inclusion when it comes on board, adding that as Governor of Lagos State, he involved many women in governance.
“The estimate measure of assessing any society is the way they treat their women. In 2023, we are not preparing for Olympics, but an institution that relies on superiority of ideas and track records to show.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the first Governor in Nigeria to appoint a woman as Deputy Governor. When he finished his two term as Governor of Lagos State, he was given the opportunity to come to the Senate but he declined and rather sent a woman.
“Twelve years ago, when I became the Governor of Borno State, I appointed five women Commissioners, that means 25 per cent of my cabinet were women,” he noted.
Shettima further promised Tinubu’s administration will fight against abuse of women and prioritise their education.
In his words, “an Asiwaju administration will be a government that will be friendly to the women, importantly, they are the backbone of our society, they constitute over 50 per cent of our total population.
“If Nigeria is to reach its full potential, we must give everyone a fair chance to make their best contribution to the well being and betterment of our nation, the growth of our economy and the achievement of our nation rests on equity and the safeguarding of the fundamental human rights and decency in our society.
“Equity and fairness to women will be a top priority of the Tinubu’s administration. We shall establish the following programmes and policies.
“We will promote more female inclusion in politics and governance. Social inclusion and political empowerment, economic empowerment whereby commercial banks would be compelled to support women on businesses nationwide.
“We will fight domestic violence and abuse, educational priority and helping the most disadvantaged in our society”.
Discussion about this post