Women in Nigeria have not had an equal opportunity with men in any administration in terms of politics and power since the country’s inception.
Worsening the situation is the National Assembly’s recent rejection of several bills seeking gender equality in the country, which has sparked protests by Nigerian women.
All seems to be falling back to the right position as excitements grips the heart of Nigerian women yesterday, and there seems to be hope for women as a new sheriff in town, Prince Adewole Adebayo, the major presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has promised to change the narrative if elected president.
Gender equality is a fundamental human right, in addition to being a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals. Unfortunately, women and girls around the world, particularly in Africa, do not fully enjoy equal rights because society appears to have been shaped from the start to favor men.
According to Adewole, the United Nations’ 35% affirmative action for men is only a starting point, and his government will unusually carry Nigerian mothers and daughters along with them.
The legal luminary revealed his plan for women while speaking to the press on Monday after officially notifying the party of his intention to run for president. He said “Women are part of the country. I have brought my wife here. The problem of women is the same problem of the country. The women want jobs, the women want security, they want a good society and they want freedom. Everyone wants that.”
Throughout the event, he was seen placing his wife and daughter at the front, putting his words into action.
According to him, women are the most dependable body of any developed country and useful instruments of greatness, especially in Nigeria where they seem to be very dedicated and hardworking.
He also said that his ideas and that of his party “are coming in freshness, fresh women with fresh political ideology. The problem of Nigeria is not what we have but how to manage it. In the past, when the resources were managed well, the country had a lot of money.”
Adewole further reiterated his commitments towards getting Nigeria from the grips of recycled old politicians who have governed the nation with the same set of ideas yet nothing good has been shown as a result of their administration.
