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Transcript/ScriptNigeria Women Lawmakers (TV/R)
HEADLINE: Cultural and Religious Biases Hinder Women’s Election Bids in Nigeria
TEASER: Nigeria has Africa's lowest number of women in political positions
PUBLISHED: 03/16/2023 at 10:22 pm
BYLINE: Timothy Obiezu
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Abuja, Nigeria
VIDEOGRAPHER: Timothy Obiezu
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:21
VID APPROVED BY: mia
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Many are watching Nigeria’s gubernatorial and state assembly elections on Saturday
to see how women candidates fare at the polls. The number of women elected to the
National Assembly in Nigeria dropped by one-half in a February 25 vote, in what
activists say is a step backward for women facing cultural bias in politics. Timothy
Obiezu reports from Abuja, Nigeria.]]
((Video/VOA: Shots of Ikhayere - Various))
((NARRATOR))
Juliet Isi Ikhayere unanimously won her party's vote to contest the National Assembly
elections last month.
The 28-year-old lawyer says she joined politics in 2021 after supporting protests against
police brutality and bad governance.
But out of 360 National Assembly seats, women won only 12, and Ikhayere wasn't one
of them. She blames gender inequality and a lack of access to campaign funds.
((Juliet Isi Ikhayere, Politician))((English))
"The political terrain in Nigeria is usually faced with violence, it's more of a patriarchal
society that for a woman to even talk, she needs to have somebody who'll actually give
her access in these political parties."
((Video/VOA: Shots of Streets GVs, Women))
((NARRATOR))
Nigeria is Africa's biggest democracy, and women represent half of its total population.
But they occupy only 4% of politically elected positions despite succeeding in business
and private sectors.
Nigeria has never had a female president or vice president since returning to
democracy in 1999, and a woman has yet to be elected governor of any state.
Cynthia Mbamalu is a director of programs at YIAGA Africa, a nonprofit promoting
democratic governance.
((Cynthia Mbamalu, YIAGA Africa Program Director)) ((English))
"They say politics is local and our local content is driven by patriarchal norms, religious
and traditional or cultural sentiments, which do not favor women political leadership."
((Video/VOA: Shots of women on posters, shots of Kingibe))
((NARRATOR))
The U.N. says Nigeria has the lowest representation of women in politics across all of
Africa.
Ireti Kinigbe is one of just three female senators elected on February 25, compared to
eight women who won senate seats in 2019.
Kingibe defeated a male counterpart who had been in office since 2011.
((Ireti Kingibe, Senator-Elect))((English))
"Women have to be allowed to emerge. I'm beginning to think that unless we legislate it
we're never going to get the parties to agree that women are an integral and critical part
of our society. // There's a certain attitude of the men in the party even when they know
a lot less than you in the political space.”
((Video/VOA: shots of protests - Various Mbamalu sequences))
((NARRATOR))
Last year, Nigerian women protested for weeks at the National Assembly, demanding
lawmakers pass five gender-related bills, including one that would reserve 35% of seats
in parliament for women.
But the bills failed to advance, after some lawmakers initially called them ridiculous.
((NARRATOR))
Many will be waiting to see if any women get elected in Saturday’s gubernatorial and
state assembly elections. Twenty-four women are running for state governor seats.
If one wins her election, she will become Nigeria’s first female governor.
((Timothy Obiezu for VOA News, Abuja, Nigeria)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Abuja, Nigeria
Embargo DateMarch 16, 2023 19:05 EDT
Byline
((Timothy Obiezu for VOA News, Abuja, Nigeria)
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
