The wife of a lawyer and human rights activist in Lagos, Ms. Funmi Falana, said that women do not get many leadership opportunities in the country’s political sphere.
Falana described this trend as discrimination that should be reversed after the 2023 general election and further posited that this would allow them to use their potential to develop society.
Therefore, the legal practitioner has urged the major political parties to ensure that the 35 per cent quota of appointment for women in politics is strictly adhered to.
She made the statement yesterday after throwing the annual Christmas party with the children of the Erelu Angela Adebayo Children’s Home in Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Commenting on the low participation of women in politics on the failure to achieve 35 percent of affirmative action for the representation of women in positions of power, he said: “This is one of the forms of discrimination against women that we have been defending.
“Even when women go out to run they get few or no votes because they think their place is in the kitchen but that era has since passed women can do better than men in any position of power even in positions of no power political.”
Acknowledging that the way politics is conducted in the country is discouraging to women, Falana said: “Most of their meetings take place at night like nocturnal animals, and the women in charge are supposed to be with their families at this time.
“The inability of women to attend such nightly political meetings ensures that decisions are made behind them and is part of the reason why they are not actively involved in politics and I think politicians should look into this.
“The Constitution specifically states that no person shall be discriminated against on the basis of sex. So, anything that puts women at a disadvantage is unconstitutional and void.”
She added: “The court decided that the failure of women to obtain adequate representation in the ruling was a violation of their rights under the Nigerian constitution.”
She joined many other prominent figures calling for positive change that would give women equal opportunities and consideration with their male counterparts in political appointments ahead of the upcoming democratic system.
Falana is looking for more leadership positions for Nigerian women
