Women
INEC Trains Professional Women …Urges Them To Participate In Politics
Although women comprise 50.1% (NPC, 2006) of the Nigerian population, their citizenship status as well as their ability to participate actively and effectively in public policy, and to be visibly represented in decision-making at all levels are all greatly curtailed by socio-economic, cultural and psychological factors (Mark-Odu, 2000:4).
This not only affects the level and quality of female citizenship, it also raises questions as to the legitimacy of Nigerian democracy in practice. Nigerian women have risen to the challenge in all spheres of professional life. However, there remains an urgent need for professional women in the political space.
Speaking to professional women during a one-day training programme titled: “National Sensitisation Workshop For Professional Women On Participation In The 2019 General Elections,” organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for professional women across the country, recently in Abuja, the facilitator, Directing Staff, NIPSS, Kuru, Prof Funmi Para-Mallam charged professional women to leave the spectator mode, but ensure full and effective leadership in politics and decision-making at all levels.
Para-Mallam defined a professional woman as a member of a profession who earns a living from a specified professional activity guided by standard rules/ethics for conduct or a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.”
She noted that sustainable development goal 5, targets 5.5 percent focus on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, adding that women must convert all their professional capabilities to political capital.
Implications of female absence in politics is as a result of four Bills that was rejected since 2002-2016 which includes the Anti-violence 2002, Reproductive health 2005, CEDAW 2006/2007 and Gender and Equal Opportunities 2016.
According to her, “The National Gender Policy stipulates a temporary measure that government shall ensure at least 35 per cent female representation in all appointive and elective posts in order to correct existing gender-based imbalances in political representation.
“The INEC’s gender policy and the electoral system in line with international and national regulatory frameworks seeks to mainstream gender, eliminate gender discrimination and promote gender equality towards a just and democratic society, but the INEC gender policy of the year 2015, lacks teeth as parties are not specifically held accountable and electoral reform is absent,” the Professor added.
She emphasized that they must push through to ensure that they amend electoral law to comply with NGP in specifics, Empower INEC to reject non gender-inclusive party lists and practices, as well as engender internal party democracy, Abolish women’s wings over time to have a Proportional representation.
Para-Mallam explained further that this can only be achieved if women build bridges across party, ethnic and religious lines to promote shared agendas as well as Grassroots mobilization and constituency building practice to promote gender solidarity that genuinely supports female candidates.
She urge women professional bodies such, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Situation Room across the country, among others to adopt strategies for broadening political space for women Electoral System, noting that no one would make the change for them.
Also speaking, while intimating the professional women on the key objectives of the training, the Deputy Director, Gender, INEC, Abuja, Mrs Blessing Obidegwu stated that analysis of previous elections shows that not many women from the professional class take part in the electoral process as voters, candidates, observers or election administrators, hence this became a concern and the need for the training.
The Deputy Director’s speech was presented by the Deputy Director, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil Society Organizations Liaison Department, INEC, Abuja, Mr Jamilu Sabiu stressed that democratic elections ought to reflect participation from all segments of the society including professional women.
According to her, “Women elites deserves the opportunity to bring their capacity and capability to bear and make their impact felt by getting actively involved in various electoral roles of their choice as a way of deepening our democracy and making it more inclusive.
“The recent INEC’s presentation of voters registered to the 91 political parties showed that in spite of all the encouragement, women’s registration as voters is 47 per cent as against 52.8 per cent of their male counterparts. This clearly shows that women did not make enough efforts to come out and register,” Obidegwu added.
She noted that although the actual reasons for political apathy among professional women in Nigeria, was yet to be known, but INEC believes that a forum of this nature would afford them the opportunity to discuss their concerns with a view to having them come on board as preparation for the 2019 General Elections draws nearer.
She added that the training was done so as to engage other women in voter education, address voter apathy, engage actively in the candidate nomination process to ensure that only the best candidates emerge, advance the electoral discourse within their sphere of influence, participate in governance, advocate for women in appointive posts, as well as advocate for good governance by holding political institutions accountable to their campaign promises and manifesto when the clinch to power.
Obidegwu explained that professional women world over are recognized and respected for their outstanding accomplishments in their various fields of endeavours, adding that the society adores women for daring to succeed in highly demanding careers which is perceived to be exclusively for the men.
She stressed further that professional women hold the promise for changing the narrative on gender inequality when they deploy their intellectual skills as their disposal to bear in politics and electoral activism, noting that the gap for now is their current lack for interesting politics which this sensitization forum intends to interrogate, noting that INEC as an Umpire has always ensured that Nigeria’s political landscape continue to be level and women-friendly.
She added that professional women in Nigeria are assured of a supportive environment to participate in the electoral process in any capacity, degree or role as they may choose stressing that since the last elections in 2015, INEC has improved its processes and procedures to ensure that gender is adequately mainstreamed in the electoral process.
Inclusion therefore, according to Para-Mallam, “Women who are already in political office have an onerous responsibility to serve as exemplary models for other women and men to respect and emulate – women have to work twice as hard to overcome stereotypes and win over hearts and minds – this is the simple but blunt reality.
“Women have unique abilities, styles and gifts that they can bring to the political space and should not seek to be men or beat men at their own game
“Most of all women must learn not to be short sighted by acting the PhD script (pull her down syndrome). Rather, women must develop the culture of supporting and promoting each other.
Obidegwu stated: “It is hoped that a compendium of roles and strategies that professional women could deploy to advance women’s political visibility in the 2019 General Elections and beyond would be developed from participants at the training.”
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
IVY-K Fashion by Igiebor Daddy Lucky, a Nigerian-born designer now based in the UK, has launched the latest menswear line, Dapper Man.
One of the collection’s strengths is its classic, clean aesthetic. Dapper Man delivers sharp, structured suits in a timeless black and white color scheme that exudes a sense of luxury and professionalism. The use of high-quality fabrics like wool and silk ensures that the suits not only look high-end but also feel luxurious to the wearer. The designer’s focus on detail is evident in the meticulous tailoring, with fitted blazers and crisp trousers forming the foundation of the collection.
Where IVY-K Fashion shines is in the subtle yet elegant touches. The inclusion of beads as embellishments on lapels and cuffs adds a unique flair, blending traditional craft with modern tailoring. This nod to African heritage gives the collection a distinct identity, offering something more personal and culturally significant than your standard menswear line.
However, despite the elegance of the Dapper Man collection, there is a lingering sense of missed opportunity. The black-and-white color palette, while classic, feels overly safe. In a fashion landscape where bold colors and daring patterns often make the strongest impact, the collection could benefit from incorporating more vibrant hues or experimenting with unconventional fabrics. Pushing the envelope with color or texture could elevate these designs from simply elegant to truly memorable.
In addition, while the tailoring of the blazers and trousers is immaculate, the collection lacks a sense of playfulness or modern edge that many contemporary menswear lines are embracing. The suits are undoubtedly stylish, but the collection as a whole leans heavily on tradition. Experimenting with asymmetrical cuts, bold patterns, or even layering could add an exciting dimension to Dapper Man. The challenge is to maintain the sleek sophistication of the collection while infusing it with a fresh, innovative spirit.
Another area that could use improvement is the overall cohesion of the collection. While the suits are well-crafted, there is a feeling of repetition across the pieces. More variation in design, such as different lapel styles, pocket configurations, or even bolder accessories, would give the collection greater diversity and visual interest.
In conclusion, Dapper Man by Igiebor Daddy Lucky showcases the designer’s strong grasp of classic tailoring and elegant design, but to truly capture the attention of a broader audience, IVY-K Fashion would benefit from more daring choices. By infusing the collection with bold colors, unexpected textures, and a more modern edge, Dapper Man could move from a well-crafted line to a trendsetting force in men’s fashion. With such a solid foundation, there’s no doubt that Igiebor Daddy Lucky has the potential to lead his brand toward greater heights
The trend of indecent dressing all in the name of fashion is fast becoming a norm in our generation and society at large. Most married women embrace this fashion as competition with single ladies.
Different scholars have given an in depth insight about dressing as a tool of communication. Non-verbal communication has been asserted as the communication between people by the means of signs or symbols. It conveys what we wish to disseminate to the public as either intentionally or not.
According to Paul Ekman and Michael Argyle, communication is carried out through what has been classified as “Presentational Code”. He listed nine codes of non-verbal communication, as body contact, facial expression, gestures, postures, eye movement, proximity, orientation, head nods and appearance.
This, being stated, married and single ladies should understand that their mode of dressing is communicative be it directly or indirectly as such body parts we call “private” are now being made public because of the trends or wearing of transparent dresses and this in turn calls on the attention of men who are weak and prone to illicit thoughts thus, resulting to most rape cases in our society.
This indecent dressing by most ladies has denied many their future husbands. The truth is that a man is attracted to his kind; his desires in marriage. It is often asserted that decency and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, yet, in trending times of this 21st century, dress code and fashion in nudity form is gaining popularity.
This has become complicated as most men tend to toggle between their emotions (lust) and sanity (rationality) in terms of marriage, thereby setting a wrong foundation upon which most marriages are consummated.
On the other hand, most married women have embraced the trend of indecent dressing nipping it on the state of it being the choice dressing, approved by their spouses, leaving society with the question of what “responsible” man would prefer that the secrecy of the benefit of his marital vow has become the centre of attraction and viewership by the general public.
Hence, communicating with their dressing gas given licence to every male gender who is interested or attracted to what they see to make unsolicited sexual passes at them, which might be considered embarrassing.
At this juncture, it is important to state that ladies should dress decently knowing that they are the epitome of nation-building, they are nation-builders, character moulders and pacesetters not just in the lives of their families but to the society at large.
In most occasions, there are no clear border lines between the married women and the single ladies because of the rate of scanty dressing which has close the gap of differences.
Women and girls should embrace this call awakening to decent mode of dressing. Dresses that are meant to be worn indoors should remain indoors.
It is worrisome to see ladies wear shorts that are supposed to be worn in the living room on the streets without shame. This is an awakening call to our ladies, married and singles that the opposite sex do not expose their private body parts for the public. Sometimes, the ladies go about in the streets without wearing brazziers as to showcase their nipples.
The society should be sanitised of the menace of indecent dressing that is lurking and taking over the entire nooks and crannies of the society and the nation at large.
Let it be known that he or she is addressed in the manner he or she is dressed. There may be no room for a second impression. To the single ladies, your dressing decently will not stop you from meeting your Mr Right rather, it will increase your stake and place you on the list of most valued women in the society.
Dressing speaks louder than words.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha is an OND final year student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
