NGO, moves to enlighten women on governance

A non-governmental organization, Women’s Aid Collective (Nigeria) WACOL, has enlightened its mentors on the way forward towards ensuring that women in Nigeria are alive to their democratic responsibilities.

Established two years ago and with offices in the south east states, Katsina and Abuja, WACOL seeks to make women know and recognize their democratic human rights and responsibilities.

Speaking during the mentorship seminar in Umuahia, the Programme Officer, Mrs Egodi Iwe said that WACOL, in collaboration with Christian Aid Nigeria , is implementing Voice To The people project,V2P organization been delivering implementable projects for governments and international organizations to empower citizens to become active in demanding for their social rights, including social amenities.

“We believe in giving voice to the voiceless, especially in the marginalised rural areas”, she said, stating that WACOL is using Community-driven attitude or approach to teach the women how to demand for their rights from ministries, departments and agencies under theV2P project.“We empower communities to become active in demanding for their right to governance”, she added that they are also talking about the inclusion of more women in governance. Speaking with newsmen after the training attended by Mentors on “Mentorship between Successful Women already in Leadership Positions and Mentee”, the trainees including Mrs. Ugo Kalu, Mrs Ekperikpe Julie,Mrs Ijeoma Uzuegbu, Miss Akaniru Pamela and Miss Oby Nwobi expressed their happiness over the mentorship training, stating that they are now in a position to mentor others on the ideals of WACOL’s V2P project in the country.

They stated the obvious fact that women are worst off in any democratic dispensation, hence the need to enlighten them on the way forward towards fighting for or demanding for their right and for more women to be in governance in all strata of leadership.

They said they want to bridge the generational gap between women and men in governorship through V2P project on mentoring. “So we are bringing in women that has been there in leadership, both in business, political and professional world and bring in young females, undergraduates, graduates and young women under thirty and preparing them in this mentoring programme so that these older ones can share the experiences with them and continue to help them to strive and make it in their leadership aspiration”, Uzoma Uzoechi said.

According to the Programme Manager of V2p Project and work for WACOL,Mrs. Anulika Ezenia, stating that women are supposed to be given a chance in governance which she said is for everybody,“Man is in governance, a woman can also be in governance. If women are given the chance, I think they will do better”, she said

She disclosed that women and girls who have leadership aspirations where part of the mentorship session and after which mentors and mentees were paired for continuous mentoring, encouraging women to vie for any political positions, even at the community level. Obi Nwobi, an aspiring entrepreneur expressed her excitement that she had learnt much which has thought her that people needs mentors that should direct them aright.

She said back home, she would engage herself in mentoring to open people’s eyes, Voice to the People, V2P project is a good governance project supporting communities in Kaduna state and the Southeast region of Nigeria to take ownership of their own development.

It seeks to address issues of poverty by supporting citizens to facilitate the provision of improved public services for all, including poor and excluded groups. Funded by UK aid from the UK government, Voice to the People is a partnership of state and national level civil society organizations led by Christian Aid Nigeria in collaboration with WACOL.