Mother’s Day: 29 Out Of 469 Lawmakers In National Assembly Too Few, Nigerians In UK Lament Limited Opportunities For Women

The Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK), has called on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that more opportunities are given to women in the country.

CANUK, the umbrella body representing all the Nigerians in the UK, noted this on Sunday in its goodwill message to all Nigerian mothers to commemorate the 2023 Mother’s Day.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Ayo Akinfe, the association said it is aware that women are being unfairly treated in Nigeria, in relation to men.                                                                               

“Given that mothers are the bedrock of the family unit and no society can thrive unless they are carried along, Canuk would like to use this opportunity to appreciate all Nigerian mothers out there,” it said.

“We are also not unaware of the fact that more of a mother’s income tends to go to the family than that of men, making the economic empowerment of women vital.

“CANUK is equally not oblivious to the fact despite 49.3% of Nigeria’s population being female, the disparity in terms of opportunities between the genders is enormous.

“For instance, while 86.4% of urban males in Nigeria are literate, only 59.5% of females are, while in rural Nigeria, the figures are 74% for males and 35.4% for females.

“Across the Nigerian structure as a whole, the opportunities for women are a lot more limited than they should be. For instance, there are very few women in political and leadership positions, as currently only seven out of 109 senators and 22 of the 360 House of Representatives members are women.

“As we mark International Women’s day 2022, Canuk calls on the Nigerian government to use the opportunity to address the problem of gender disenfranchisement in Nigeria. Once more, Canuk wishes all Nigerian mother’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day.”