Holds 3-day workshop to build capacity of stakeholders
As FCDO supports project with N1bn
By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja
Ahead of 2023 general elections, a non-governmental, non-partisan, non-religious, and civil society organisation, ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, Wednesday, disclosed moves to mobilize women and youth on electing credible political leaders at all levels.
This was made known at a kick-off of a 3-day inception workshop with theme, ‘Campaign for Inclusion of Women and Young People in Political and Governance Processes, We-YOU Pro’ held in Abuja, which is a two-year project funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, with N1 billion (£1.89 million) .
Speaking on the essence of the Project, Country Director, AAN, Ene Obi, said the project is to train women and young people in order to be engaged in the electoral process, and also to mobilize other youths to stand their ground in making sure the right people are elected.
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Ene who was represented by the Director of Programmes, AAN, Suwaiba Jibrin, said, “Generally, ActionAid intends to mobilize, train and work with young people’s organizations.
“First, is to understand purpose of democracy, role of election, role of young people in engaging with the electoral process, so that they will choose and vote right.
“Once, we get elections right, we are hopeful that we have credible leadership and right kind of people and proper position of power, and if right people are in position of power we assume that the issues of corruption and unemployment will be a thing of the past but it will take some time.”
However, she (Obi) pointed that, “It also takes courage and conviction to do away with corruption; the gifts that are done to influence other people will no longer be there if the young people decide to do it, and I am sure they are going to it.
“So with women and young people, our work usually is to empower, impact knowledge, mobilization, providing the space to engage, interact and make decisions that affects their lives, and be able to ask the leaders of this country the right kind of questions-physical debates, participate in decision making processes but that would not be possible if they do not have the understanding of the policy domain of Nigeria in terms of what happens, programmes so they would be able to ask that kind of question and that is what we want and we want people to e assertive”, she stated.
She also made it known that ActionAid is fully on ground before, during and after the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State as its Country Director heads the Civil Society Situation Room, and also works with other election stakeholders.
Meanwhile, explaining in the same vein about the N1 billion three years project on ‘Campaign for Inclusion of Women and Young People in Political and Governance Processes’, the Director, Resource Mobilization and Innovation, ActionAid, Andrew Mamedu, said the project is to be carried out in three States including Rivers, Kaduna and Kano.
And to “Support the Situation Room work, which is the election work across the country from actually September 2021 till end of March 2023, so for 19 months that is when this project funding supposed to be used. The funding supposed to cover work at the community and state levels.
“We will be engaging political parties towards ensuring their system is strong enough in terms of women and young persons’ representatives within their political structure.
“We intend to carry out a political economy analysis, and if it is done we will probably done today we will have the ruling party and have the main opposition party, and also have one women-led or youth-led political party, which any of those will be the third political party but if we will have the fourth when we discuss with FCDO.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is supporting ActionAid with about a Billion Naira, which is about £1.89 million to work in three states specifically which are Rivers, Kaduna and Kano
“We will be engaging political parties towards ensuring their system is strong enough in terms of women and young persons’ representatives within their political structure.
“We intend to carry out a political economy analysis, and if it is done we will probably done today we will have the ruling party and have the main opposition party, and also have one women-led or youth-led political party, which any of those will be the third political party but if we will have the fourth when we discuss with FCDO.
“The project has already kicked off, we started in September 2021 and signed the contract in September, and it will be ending by March 2023.
“So how people embedded to support them towards achieving this, and we will be working with women and youth groups in these three states towards mobilizing and getting other young people.
“How do we make sure that women and young people’s issues are captured in the manifestos of the political parties, get our politicians to listen to young persons, women and ensure that their issues are first or priority captured within their manifesto?
“So that becomes starting point and then have something to hold them accountable that the women and youths will then hold them accountable when the politician win and get into government, so that is the basics.
“We will also be working with religious and traditional institutions, Community Based Organisations, CBOs, towards mobilizing young people and women.”
He also expressed optimism that, “If young people and women rise up and actually demand accountability, good governance, and ensure that the people that are coming out and we will be voting for eventually in 2023 are the right people.
“The people that are putting the agenda of this category of persons in their campaign manifesto then we will be most likely be closer to likely getting better government officials that will be dealing with good governance.”
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