I remain committed to gender balance in governance –Obi

Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has restated his commitment to a broad inclusion of women in governance, saying women play very critical roles in nation building and must be given a fair chance to participate at high levels of administration, governance and leadership.

Obi, who made the commitment in his message to mark the International Women’s Day 2023, said the day provides the world opportunity to celebrate the social, economic and political contributions and achievements of women in society.

He said women have continued to excel in many professions, even at global levels and noted that success in life, governance, leadership is not gender-specific, but open to all men and women alike. He said numerous Nigerian women, across the nation, have gained global recognition by their contributions to society.

Obi argued for adequate economic empowerment of women, in form of access to good education, proper health care delivery and poverty alleviation, which will enable them to contribute more to societal growth and development.

“Regrettably, girl-child school enrolment has remained poor in many parts of the country, with over 60 per cent of the out-of-school children in Nigeria being female. We must, therefore, ensure greater access to affordable and qualitative education for women in our society, so as to empower them to live more productive lives and play more meaningful roles in nation building,” Obi said.

He further stated that in a nation like Nigeria which is battling deeply-rooted corrupt practices at different levels of governance, women are more likely to be sincere, fair and just, in the discharge of their duties as public office holders.

“Several studies by Transparency International have shown women are less likely to be corrupt than men when given leadership positions. Higher levels of women’s participation in public offices are associated with lower levels of corruption,” Obi said.

He appreciated all women who have played different productive roles in the Obidient movement and assured everyone he would never relent in reclaiming the mandate given to him by the people. 

Obi finally congratulated Nigerian women on the occasion of the 2023 International Women’s Day celebration and wished them all-round success in life.