….says Nigeria is better when united against Secession campaign
By Christiana Ekpa
The Wife of Governor of Niger State, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello and Chairperson, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aisha Dukku have underscored the need for Nigerians to embrace dialogue in the bid to fund lasting solutions to the myriad of socio-economic and political challenges facing the country.
The duo gave the charge in Abuja during the Book launch and ‘Award ceremony of Sardauna of all time’ which was conferred on Senator Rochas Okorocha, Wife of Governor of Niger State, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello; Hon. Aisha Dukku, among others, by publisher of Sardauna Times.
Dr. Bello who warned the promoters of secession to jettison the ideology, urged all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion, ethnic affiliations to embrace dialogue and contribute their quota to the national development.
“The thing about it is that Nigeria was created on the premise of unity and I think people need to go back and look at that intention and really think about it closely. I think we are already too much of a nation where we are all inter-connected in one way and another and so for those who are asking for that, they need more patience and dialogue to understand the way forward for the country.”
While responding to question on the low representation of women in politics, Dr. Bello called for the implementation of the ‘women affirmative action’ which Nigeria was a signatory to. “We have the rule that says at least 30% of women should be allowed to participate in politics. We need more women to be supported when they come out to run for political offices, we need women at the top of government in the executive and legislative arms to ensure that, that law that has been passed is implemented.
“In addition to that we also need to give women the opportunity and support that they need to pursue political offices.
“It’s not just about the people in the Legislature and Executive, but about everybody around us doing their own beats to ensure that women play their parts. Because as you can see, women play a very significant role in the development of any country, so you have to give them the opportunity to do more, so everybody needs to out their hands together,” she urged.
On her part, Chairperson, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aisha Dukku who extolled the leadership qualities of the late Sardauna of Sokoto underscored the need for political and public office holders to transform the country.