Rivers Politician advocates more political inclusion for Women
Port Harcourt, Oct. 2, 2025 – As the 2027 general elections creeps close, a stakeholder and politician in Rivers has emphasized on need for more women to be allowed to occupy key political positions and the need to train and reserve political seats for them.
Responding to a survey on Women in politics, Mrs Angela Oju-Kienmie, said promoting women’s participation was not just a gender issue, but a national imperative for inclusive governance and development.
Discribing the topic as a global concern, Oju-Kienmie, former Vice Chairman, Opobo/Nkoro local government area in Rivers said the issue of low political representation for women should quickly be addressed before the 2027 general elections sets in.
According to her, Women occupy only 48 seats out of 988 state assembly seats in Nigeria’s 36 states amounting to 4.8 per cent and hold only 27 per cent of seats in national parliaments worldwide.
She noted that if the challanging genda gap is not addressed it would continue to widen even in the next 39 years.
Emphasizing on benefits of women in active politics, Oju-Kienmie said it is crucial for several reasons including Representation which brings concerns affecting girls and women to the front burner thereby, fostering solutions.
“Women bring unique experiences and viewpoints which enriches policy making and decision making processes.
“This unique contribution is mostly targeted at women empowerment and equality on issues bothering on stereotypes,” she said.
The former Vice Chairman however, commended Rivers government for adoption of females into positions of Deputy Governors and Vice Chairmen of local government councils over the years saying though the format further strengthened women representation in politics only 6 out of 32 members are women in the state Assembly where key political decisions are taken.
Oju-Kienmie who also served as the Supervisor for health while in office said she championed various impactful programs and advocacy on cultural practices against women including female genital mutilation and other social intimidations against women and the vulnuerables.
The former Vice Chairman who is also a writer and philanthropist also noted that women should be specifically trained to enable them take leadership responsibilities and become more decisive in decision making.
According to her, Rivers government had developed a five-year Gender Policy (2024-2028) aimed at promoting women’s participation in governance and addressing gender inequalities.
“The government had also engaged in town hall meetings, providing a platform for women to share their concerns and suggestions on budget priorities and resource allocation.
“Initiatives such as training young women in leadership and supporting women-led agricultural cooperatives have also been implemented as part of steps to strategically position women for productivity as well as political leadership roles,” she said.
Oju-Kienmie is also of the opinion that some seats be reserved for women to protect them from peculiar challenges such as funding, societal expectations, and stereotypes.