By Usman Usman Garba
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has emphasized that lack of women participation in governance and economy in the Northern part of the country, has created a serious setback due to the some religious beliefs, misunderstood beliefs, as well as traditional beliefs and culture.
He added that in advanced countries, women take up to 50 per cent or more for the participation on economy, adding that any country that being left behind in the participation of women in economic development would always be left behind in progress.
The governor made the comment when the wife All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu paid him a courtesy visit for her one-day stakeholders’ engagement meeting at Kano Government House on Wednesday.
He said: “Your Excellency, women agenda in politics is getting prominence but this time around, under your husband, it is going to be an entirely more serious issue because we discussed issues for the maximum inclusiveness of women in governance and beyond.
“In economic, women are left out in many economic activities in this country. “If we study the advanced countries, we find out that in some countries, women take up to 50 per cent or more in the participation in economy.”
He also informed her that the state government was so serious about women inclusiveness and participation in governance and economic development.
The governor lamented that women participation suffers setback in Northern part of the country due to the wrong belief of tradition and culture, while some misunderstood the stance of women inclusiveness in religion.
Governor Ganduje has similarly emphasized that the greatest weapon to stop that is education.
“Education is the key to participation, is a key of inclusiveness me education is a key to economic participation as well.
“So we have done a lot of which, the first lady of Kano state is the backbone of it,” he mentioned. On her part, Sen. Oluremi appreciated what the state has been doing to her and her husband, recalling how she served in Kano during her NYSC programme, describing the state as fantastic.
She and her running mate, the wife of Sen. Kashim Shettima, Hajiya Nana Shetima, promised to heal the nation by helping youths in the area of education, entrepreneurship, skill development and youth enlightenment.
On her part, the state First Lady, Prof. Hafsat Umar Ganduje, expressed her hope, assuring the Senator that the state is APC one, adding that people in the state would vote for APC.
She described Mrs. Tinubu as woman of integrity and virtue, calling on her to emulate Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s style of passion of free and compulsory education by applying it to the entire nation, particularly Northern part, when her husband is elected as the president of the nation.
