Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, yesterday challenged the Nigerian women to vote for leaders whose electoral campaign prioritises promotion of women’s welfare and detest abuse against women in the society.
The Emir made the call at his Palace yesterday during a courtesy call by The Strong Women Network, sequel to the launch of a maiden project in Kano, in an all-female conference with the theme: “Matters Arising to Afresh Womanhood.”
Sanusi also regretted that no aspirant for the 2019 general election has included women development in his/her campaign; stressing that “it is high time women started to scream out and protest against this development”.
He urged them to work against the interest of any leader who does not represent them well, adding that, “women have suffered for too long in silence, just as the populace has lost sense of the choice of what we want in a leader, especially in Northern Nigeria.”
Sanusi further hailed the group for the launch of a platform where young girls and women can be inspired, while challenging them to ensure that, “it does not end in mentorship but you should work hard to see that at least, a woman is elected into the state House of Assembly in Kano, so that laws that protect women against violence, especially in marriage, would be enacted and implemented as it is being done in other Muslim countries like Egypt and Algeria.”
Speaking earlier, convener of the group, Yasmin Obadaki, noted that the maiden conference, was put together to address the challenges being faced by women in today’s society, especially in career pursuit, family life, entrepreneurial culture, health, politics and nation building among others.
The conference featured discussions led by high-profile and influential women achievers in the society, including the first female and current Branch Controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Kano State, Hajiya Ameena Pindar Abubakar who spoke on “Women in Leadership”, and a renowned expert obstetrician and gynaecologist, Professor Hadiza Galadanchi, who addressed “The Role of Women in Maternal Mortality.”
All the speakers during the conference stressed the need for women to support one another and contribute to national development by making impacts in their own little way, through their respective works.
They also stressed the importance of girl-child education as the bedrock of societal development.