Enough of lip service, we need more women in strategic roles – Aisha Buhari tells APC

The first lady, Aisha Buhari, has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to guarantee that women hold key positions within the party.

Aisha made the remarks on Tuesday at the inaugural APC national women’s conference in Abuja.

She said the future of Nigeria is dependent on women’s potentials, and that the APC must go beyond “paying lip service” to women’s participation in governance.

“This is the first time the national women conference of the APC is being held to establish our commitment to setting the position of women in matters of national importance, especially in increasing the visibility of women, positioning women for future political offices, and encouraging them to aspire more towards the progress of our great party,” she said.

“Since 2015, I’ve had the privilege of engaging Nigerian women across the entire country. My conviction is that Nigeria’s future is entirely dependent on actually using the potentials of our women.

“It is no mere coincidence that parties that have grown strong, prosperous and influential have prioritised women’s participation in national building.

“I therefore wish to call upon the APC to double its efforts in promoting women, which I believe will serve as one of the objectives of this conference.

“As Nigeria races towards another election, we must go beyond paying lip service to putting women in vital offices within our party and the government.

“We must put in place workable strategies to ensure that this actually happens; charity begins at home. And so the APC must start by ensuring that women occupying strategic offices within the party have the most strategic roles in government.

“When this happens, it will become a lot easier for us to empower the Nigerian women for the much needed leadership politically and economically.”