Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki

An International Organisation, the Alliances for Africa (AfA), onj Monday,  called on governments at all levels to implement the Gender Equality Bill, 35 per cent Affirmative Action and indeed, create enabling environment which would enhance women’s participation in politics.

It said that various mechanisms already put in place have remained comatose given series of impediments hindering their implementation.

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The group made the call at a two-day capacity training for civil society organisations and the media on achieving full implementation of 35 per cent Affirmative Action in the South East organized with support from UN Women Funds for Gender Equality held at San Diego Hotels, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

Delivering his lecture on Challenges of Affirmative Action, Prince Sam Ezeanyika, lamented that “since their victory at the 2007 elections which saw a huge rise in female representation in elective positions in the country, Nigerian women’s performance in subsequent elections has gone from bad to worse. He said it nose-dived from eight per cent in 2011 which they got 32 of 469 seats in the National Assembly to a pathetic 4.5 per cent which represents 21 in 2015.

“In several of these discussions, some participants identified the challenge of gender stereotyping as the bane of women and suggested that government should be pressured to implement legislations such as the Gender Equality Bill (GEB), Affirmative Action (AA), and then put up a commission to support women while political parties should adopt a more genuine waiver policy for female aspirants.