By Chisom Asogwa
Nigeria began the journey to uninterrupted democratic governance about 19 years ago.
Today marks a momentous day where it is remarkable to note that the interests of the majority supersede that of the minority; and in celebration of a form of government that best assures the active participation and actual benefit of the people.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government “of the people, by the people and for the people”. This has been in practice in Nigeria for a while and has been deeply entrenched in our political system.
However, our democracy has not been totally representational as young Nigerians especially young Nigerian women have not been given that level playing ground to fully participate actively in the democratic process with particular reference to running and getting elected into political offices.
Nigerian women have been triggering paradigmatic shift in different sectors of the nation and we believe it is time to give us the opportunity to bring that contemporary sophistication to the political arena. We will be starting from the grass root to build an all –inclusive formidable movement capable of transforming the society.
Our song now should be out with the old, in with the young; out with the politicians, in with the technocrats; out with the primordial, in with the cutting edge; out with the ethno-centric, in with the inclusive and nationalistic. The old is making way for the new. It is unacceptable to put old wine in new skin but rather new wine for new skin. This is the way to go. That is the way of the world in other climes which still remains loathing to us at our detriment.
Women participation in politics is important to make our democracy better. This is pivotal to achieving the ideal society we all crave for. Our democracy is not complete until we have a tangible and reasonable number of women in politics. Some have declared their interests and some will still declare their interest in the nearest future especially as we draw closer to another poll.
Women participation in politics, with proven empirical evidences, has been directly linked to sustainable development.
The more women we have in governance, the better chance of attaining a world-class standard of advancement. Dearth of women in politics affects every aspect of our lives and we cannot afford to keep silent on issues that matter to us.
Therefore, as we celebrate another milestone in Nigeria’s democracy, we should keep in proper perspective the importance of having more women in politics most especially as policy makers.
This is one of the ways we can truly build effective and inclusive democratic governance and a more integrated approach to foster a resilient society.