By Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja

AHEAD of the 2027 general elections, Nigerian women have collectively vowed to make a significant shift in the country’s political landscape by taking center stage during the election.

The women, led by the Gender Strategy Advancement Initiative, GSAI and SheForum Africa, declared their intentions on Wednesday in Abuja.

The gathering which was tagged “The Godmother’s mentorship series” was also aimed at mentoring young female Nigerians to stand up for their rights in the realization of gender equality as part of the article of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Founder, SheForum Africa, Mrs Inimfon Etuk, stated that there is no point waiting until 2027 before the female folks could start galvanizing themselves for the realization of gender equality in the country’s political arena.

She said that SheForum Africa aim is all about leveraging the strength of members, other individuals, and organizations to move things on in the country, adding that the NGO not only dwells on gender equality but other things.

She said: “My organization has come to the understanding that no group can do it alone in building Nigeria to the desire of many. No one person, no one organization can do it alone; we all know there are a lot of targets right now globally, there is the United Nations 2030 target for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Part of the SDG goals is gender equality, there is also a goal which talks about partnership, our target in Nigeria is surrounded by the achievement of democratic dispensation by 2027.

“We are getting ready for the election, there is so much that has happened within the light of our politics in Nigeria, we don’t need to wait until the year of election before we start gearing up for it.

“We want to influence who emerges as the candidate of Party A or Party B, the advocacy that is on the table right now is that we are targeting the political parties.

“We want political parties to fill female candidates for the 2027 election, we want to leverage on the strength of numbers of women and young people in Nigeria.”

Former senate minority leader, Sen. Biodun Olujimi, who advocated for a backup of the legislation for the realization of gender equality in Nigeria, stated that that is the only way to go to achieve such aim.

According to her, Sierra Leone was able to back such an idea with legislation before it could have 50/50 equal gender representation in its parliament.

Olujimi also mentioned Senegal as having 42/58 per cent inclusivity of both genders in its parliament, adding that there was a need to form a forum to encourage young people to fill the political space in Nigeria.

Founder, Well-being Foundation Africa, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, stressed the need for knowledge transformation into young female Nigerians, adding that that was the reason why some of them were invited to the programme.

“We are invited here basically to this roundtable to begin to talk about knowledge transformation, especially in the different generational ways some of us have moved and become experts to meet with the younger generation.

“We are putting together modalities by which we expose them, to also spring up and learn from each other, so that by the time the next election takes place in Nigeria, we would have exposed more people who wish to take up leadership positions.

“We must understand investment in the education of our children, it is one of the processes of development of a child, we must begin to grow children in the right way before they grow to become adults,” she stressed.

Executive Director, Gender Strategy Advocacy International, Mrs Adaora Sydney-Jack, stated that the Godmother Mentorship Series is all about raising and bridging the gap for leadership especially for young women in Nigeria.

She added that there was a need to change the narrative and have more women in the political position in Nigeria.

Former Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, said the time is now for Nigeria to shun the issue of Godfatherism in politics and allow more women to participate.

She said that Godmotherizing mentorship is an intergenerational mentorship initiative aimed at nurturing more women into leadership positions in the country.

“Not enough women are in the leadership position in the country, and this is so abysmal for a country like Nigeria known as the giant of Africa which is supposed to serve as an example to others in terms of politics”, she said.