Why Nigerian women will dominate politics, by Lagos council boss

The Deputy Executive Secretary, Coker Aguda Local Council Development Area, Mrs Olatokunbo Ajala-Ekundayo, has urged Nigerian women to outgrow their aspiration in politics beyond the parish level to capture political power. Ajala-Ekundayo said that the Nigerian woman could capture power beyond the local level within a short time if they played active politics at the national and municipal levels. She said:: “The argument that many women are not in politics is not sustainable going by their numbers at political rallies and campaigns. “Women possess the numerical strength to take charge of public affairs but unfortunately we are still too involved in politics at the parish and community level. 

“If more of us can grow beyond the local government terrain in our political aspirations, capturing federal political power by one of us is assured in a short time,’’ she said. Ajala-Ekundayo said that market women alone constituted a potent force that could be a catalyst to wrest political power from the menfolk if they organized themselves more constructively. “Women constitute an appreciable number of the educated class in this country and the electorate and therefore can use the potential power to change fortunes in the society. “The proper and constructive organisation of women in our society from all walks of life, including the market women, will produce nothing short of relevance in politics for us,’’ she said. 

On the tenure of elected local government councils in Lagos State, Ajala-Ekundayo said three years was not enough for elected local officials to achieve their set objectives and programmes. She added that the proposal would have undergone extensive deliberation before it was allowed to become part of the public discourse. “Experience has taught many of us at the local level that three years is not enough to attain our manifesto promises considering the challenge of finance and the Lagos peculiarity. “Local leaders too need more time as well to be able to affect and change lives of citizens they govern,’’ she told NAN. GAjala-Ekunday also urged state governments to allocate more revenues to local councils to enable them to influence social change especially in the education and health sectors.