NCWS to Buhari: fill three women seats in the cabinet

The National Council for the Women Societies (NCWS) yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to replace the three women who left the cabinet before the end of the year.

The NCWS members from the 36 states and FCT visited  the President at the State House Villa, Abuja.

President of the NCWS, Dr. Gloria Laraba Shoda told the President that the three women should be replaced in line with the 35 per cent affirmative action.

She said: “As you also know, Nigeria is yet to fulfill the target of 35 percent of women in decision- making posts in the executive. We want to use this opportunity to raise this matter as well. If we do not, our women will ask us, why ?

“They are watching as we speak. The three women who vacated their ministerial posts for various reasons have not been replaced.

“This means that there is a deficit in the number of women in your cabinet. Sir, as we appeal to you to please champion the inclusion and participation of more women in your cabinet, public and board appointments, can we also leave here with the hope that these three women ministerial vacancies will be filled before the end of the year?

“For us, this is the  only way that women can participate in governance and have have a seat at the table of executive decision – making in public  policy.

The female Ministers at the beginning of this administration were Amina Mohammed (Gombe), Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna), Kemi Adeosun (Ogun), Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto), Aisha Alhassan (Taraba) and  Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe).

Mohammed, Adeosun and Alhassan have left the cabinet.

While Mohammed resigned to take a UN job, Adeosun resigned over NYSC scandal and Alhassan left over her disqualification from the governorship race by the APC.

The President promised to look into the issue as he claimed that he replaced the women that left with other female members of the cabinet.

He said Adeosun was replaced by Zainab Ahmed and that Aisha Alhassan was replaced by Aisha Abubakar.

The President said: “I have appreciated the settle and timely threat you have made. I said timely because you waited until campaigns are about to start. You mobilise yourselves to come and threaten me. I hope you are being very fair to me. You said I haven’t replace the casualties from my council about the ladies.

“I’m sure you are following up. One, applied to leave because she wanted to be the governor of her state. One failed to meet the government requirement of declaring NYSC certificate. I replaced them with other ladies, Finance and Women Affairs. So, I don’t know where I went wrong there.”