Group Wants More Women In Niger Politics

With only one woman occupying an elective position in Niger State, the Salma Attah Foundation for Women and Girls Support under the Kallabi leadership, has begun awareness for more women participation in the state’s politics.

LEADERSHIP observed that only Affiniki Dauda, representing Gurara constituency, was elected among 40 people elected in various offices from the state in 2023.

The women participation in politics in the state reduced from two members in the state assembly House Assembly and a senator in 2007 to only one member in the state assembly.

In view of this, the Women and Girls foundation conducted a six months intensive training for 25 young women on legislative processes in Niger State and to increase their awareness to participate in politics.

The executive director, Amrah Aliyu, who spoke at the closing ceremony of the training program at the state assembly complex in Minna, said it was aimed at changing the narrative and encouraged more women participation in politics.

Aliyu, who is also the team lead, Tallabi leadership fellowship advocated for more women to come into the political space, civic participation and to raise awareness for men to give women a chance to build the nation with them.

She explained that they were able to teach the participants about leadership, communication, public speaking and also going to plenary sessions to learn from the legislators, who are expected to propose bills that would be followed up to see that they were being domesticated in the state.

Aliyu emphasised the importance of the Tallabi leadership fellowship in order to raise the next generation of women leaders, adding that it was a movement for gender equity

The Speaker Niger State House of Assembly Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji represented by the lawmaker representing Paikoro constituency, Mohammed Nasir, lauded the foresight and opportunity for women in governance while regretting low women participation in politics as a set back to democracy