Women Group Lays Plans To Ensure 35 Percent Affirmative Action

Over 47 Women from various organisation in Nigeria converged on Wednesday to strategise on ways to ensure the implementation of the 35% Affirmative Action Court ruling.

The one-day zoom meeting organised by 100 women Lobby Group was set to task women on ways of  creating an enabling environment for women inclusion in diverse spaces, to improve the efforts for  women development.

Manager Women's Right Program Action Aid Nigeria, Nkechi Ilochi-Kanny, stated that to ensure court ruling is acted upon, women need to strategise collectively, stressing that,  plans have to be put in place to make implementation possible.

Ilochi-Kanny noted that CSOs, Feminists group, Activists may need to come together in pulling resources  to deal with the issue.

She added that women need to build  knowledge around the issue of the court ruling on the 35 percent Affirmative Action.

“We do not have to  stick to only one strategy in getting things done as over the years we discovered some level of reluctance by the government in getting to live up to their commitment of getting women their right leadership spaces hence unconventional ways can be introduced to drive our demands home and get results. 

“We need to ensure a lot of ways suitable to our context environment. For the 35% Affirmative Action to be obtained, some institutions should be held accountable and responsible.

"It is a test to know how we can obtain it at various levels. 

“Nigeria is a huge country we need more than one strategy to win this war.”

In the same view, Founder/Chairperson Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR), Amina Oyagbola, said the court ruling is a feat that has been accomplished and the 35 percent Affirmative Action should be a baseline for men and women to break the barriers of inequality. 

“Women should quit waiting for permission or waiting for others to act first, rather take charge and determine clearly the steps to be taken to make impactful decisions that will enable us to achieve the results we desire as a group.

“It is important that women must be careful not to take this ruling primarily as legal backing.”