Stakeholders have said that the recent Supreme Court judgement granting financial autonomy to all 774 local government areas in Nigeria presents an immense opportunity for more women to participate in politics and governance at the grassroots level.
Reacting to the judgement, the state coordinator of Progressive Sisters Network and technical assistant to a federal lawmaker, Lateefah Aspita Isah, said the judgement on LGA autonomy couldn’t have come at a better time. Speaking during an interview, she said women, as great mobilizers, must take advantage of their numbers to intensify the drive for women’s inclusion in governance right from the local government level.
According to her, “Formidable women’s groups like the Nigerian Women Trust Fund and the Women in Politics Forum, among others at the federal level, need to intensify advocacy to fight for increased women’s inclusion in political processes using the legal tool of affirmative action.
With sustained advocacy, women, as major drivers of the political process, especially through votes and mobilization, stand a better chance of holding both elective and appointive offices,” she said.
Public affairs analyst Jide Ojo called for the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) across Nigeria to be granted both financial and administrative autonomy. In his reaction to the judgement, he said, “The recently granted financial autonomy may benefit Nigerian women in terms of participation and representation if we start to have credible polls at the local government level.” He said women stand a better chance of winning elections to LGA Councils given the small population of the constituency in which they will have to campaign and the resources needed compared to other layers of governance. “Considering the popularity of women as grassroots mobilizers, they stand a better chance to win elections and influence decisions,” he said.
This sentiment was also echoed by a former member of the House of Representatives and governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside. In a recent article, he said, “The most significant reason why the LGA system is functioning sub-optimally is the complete absence of free, fair, and credible elections.” According to him, without free and fair elections, accountability and transparency are just wishful thinking.
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