ENUGU–A nongovernmental organization, Women Information Network (WINET) has canvassed inclusion of more Women in Enugu State in the traditional rulers Council.
WINET said this was necessary because it would be in line with the Sustainable Development Goal five, which seeks to achieve gender quality.
These were part of recommendations they made after assessing the extent of inclusion of Women in leadership positions by Traditional Rulers in six Communities in the state.
Presenting the report funded by Ford Foundation, West Africa, and in collaboration with the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, (NWTF) to the media and the Civil Society Organizations in Enugu, the Executive Director of WINET, Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, noted that Women inclusion and their participation in Traditional Cabinets is considered as one of the final stages in the process of ensuring gender equality and improving gender power relations.
She said that there had been several campaigns in that regard in the state.
She continued “This study has objectives which include to access the extent that advocacies have influenced Women’s inclusion in leadership and decision making by Traditional Rulers in Enugu State Communities between 2010 and 2021.
According to her, “the second objective is to ascertain if the Communities have developed the legal framework that accommodates inclusion of Women in leadership and decision making.”
She further explained that the study was designed to collect data quantitative and qualitative survey, adding that sampling was used to select one community in each of the three Senatorial districts of the State “which have women members of the traditional ruler’s cabinet”
She disclosed that the data collection for the study were analysed using simple descriptive statistics – cluster bar Charts and tables.
The WINET Boss, gave the names of the six selected Communities to include, Obige-Obukpa and Breme – Ehandiagu in Enugu North Senatorial zone, Mbulu- Owo and Umueze Enugu East, as well as Alum- Inyi and Ezema-Olo in Enugu West Senatorial district.
The study equally revealed that Women’s exclusion from decision making at the traditional Council has prevented them from influencing decisions that will protect them.
She continued “their absence at this Council therefore, makes it difficult for them to dialogue and debate on why they should enjoy equal status with the men in the Communities.”
Meanwhile, findings of the study, revealed that some Traditional Rulers in the state have started including women in their Cabinet, but WINET and other CSOs operating in the area are still canvasing for more inclusion .
Speakers at the event, applauded WINET for carrying out such a thorough and detailed study, describing it as a tool that would go a long way in making Monarchs in the state to see reason for the inclusion of more women in their cabinets.
