2023: Women Group Seek Status Of Female Deputy Governor In Enugu

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Friday, June 3rd, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Ahead of the 2023 general election in Nigeria, a Coalition of Women group in Enugu State, operating under the platform of Women Support Women, (WSW), has called on the state government to maintain the status of a Woman as a deputy governor as obtained since Governor. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi assumed office.

The group made up of network of women from various advocacy bodies, equally wants the Enugu state government to give additional appointive positions to women.

Addressing Newsmen yesterday on behalf of the group, the State coordinator of (WSW), Mrs. Onyinye Mamah, said that they are out to dismantle men dominance in governance so that more women participate and contribute their quota to the building of the state and the nation in general.

Mamah added that it is their heart desire that Enugu State should continue to maintain the status of having female deputy governors while looking forward to having a woman as the governor.

“We want Enugu to maintain the status of a woman as a deputy governor and then want more women in appointive positions” she stated

” As an advocacy group, we want to dismantle the statuesque in the state assembly where we have only four women.”

According to her, they want the number of women in the state assembly to be at least six or the affirmative action of seven women in the assembly made up twenty-four.

She further stressed that a situation where only three women are commissioners out of seventeen is not good enough for the women and the state, adding that more women should be appointed SA, SSAs and SPAs to redress the gender imbalance.

She pointed out electing more women is not a favour but a statutory requirement.

“It is no longer like a kind of favour from the governor to appoint or elect women but it is a gender right that has been passed constitutionally for all the states to integrate,” she said.

Mamah however expressed satisfaction with Ugwuanyi for being the first governor in the state to have a woman as his deputy and stressed the need for the status be maintained in addition to having more women appointed into positions of authority.

“Our outcry as an advocacy group is that a woman remains the deputy governor and we want more women in appointive positions,” she reiterates.

She hinted that already they have penciled down some women that are qualified and capable that would take the position of deputy, come 2023.