Chief Executive Officer, Women Trust Fund (WTF), Brenda Anugwom has observed that the widening gender gap in political opportunities in both elective and appointive positions in the country will make the coming political years more challenging for Nigerian women.

Anugwom who made this observation in an interview in Abuja said the body will ensure that in decision making both genders are well represented and their perspectives are considered in policymaking, project implementation and other decisions that affect the lives of every man, woman, children and persons with disability.

Recalling that, the fund was established to provide aspiring women with technical support towards their political campaigns, irrespective of political affiliations, she said: “With the widening gender gap in political opportunities in both elective and appointive positions, the mandate for not just me but other leading women advocates and groups has to hinge on our commitment to empowering women and advancing gender equality in Nigeria.

“This widening gap of course will make the coming years even more challenging, but we have a burning commitment to ensure women’s voices are heard and are accorded the opportunity to contribute their very best towards the development of Nigerian society.

“My goal remains to have a society where in decision making both genders are well represented and their perspectives are considered in policymaking, project implantation and other decisions that affect the lives of every man, woman, children and persons with disability. Generally, we must push to promote better policies that affect women and for policymakers to make gender-inclusive policies.

Acknowledging that the present administration has made a slight progress by appointing eight women as ministers of the federal republic, regretted that the move has not met up with the 35percent affirmative action ordered by the court.

She urged the federal government to appointment more women into political offices to fulfill Nigeria’s gender policy which was backed by a Federal High Court judgment last year.

According to the CEO, the country can close gender gaps in politics by adhering to the constitutional 35percent affirmative action for Nigerian women.

“As an ardent and passionate advocate for women inclusion in the political, social and economic sphere, I have closely followed the trajectory of general women participation in various sectors in Nigeria. Specifically, the Nigerian political terrain has been inconsistent with the effort to ensure participation of women in mainstream politics.

“From my last check, the current administration has appointed eight women to various ministerial positions. While this is a slight increase from the seven, we had during the last administration, it’s still not up to 35% of the total of 47 ministers we currently have in the country.

“So, my impression so far with the role of women under this administration is that there is a lot of work to be done in a bid to fulfill Nigeria’s gender policy which was in fact backed by a Federal High Court judgment last year.

“The administration is about 7 months old, so there is a huge opportunity to retrace its steps towards deliberately incorporating Nigerian women with competence and capacity into the cabinet.

“While we understand the importance of stakeholder advocacy with critical government offices in a cause, we are trying to achieve this as we maintain a non-partisan stand in the process. The idea is to build a relationship that will be beneficial to not just Nigerian women but the youth, and Persons With Disability.

Anugwom who disclosed that the campaign was not just for the Nigerian Women Trust Fund but for all Nigerian women across the globe, stated further: “The advocacy to support gender equality in different parts of the world especially in Nigeria is as old as Nigeria’s political history itself. We have consistently deployed strategies, document lessons learnt and further review our plans especially in line with the political climate of the time.

“We will continue to empower Nigerian women with relevant political, economic and social capacities that prepares them for leadership positions. The idea is to consistently increase productivity and capabilities to support their leadership aspirations.

“Countries with higher percentages of women in parliament tend to drive better policies. It is also imperative to invest in gender education, social behavioral change towards women and girls. All this will have to be part of a long-term comprehensive and sustained effort with measurable results over time.” She said.