No Law Says Women can’t Rule Nigeria — Aisha Yesufu

Co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Aisha Yesufu, has said that Nigerian women should not be denied the right to aspire to the nation’s highest political office, including the presidency.

Speaking as the keynote speaker at the Girls Summit organised by the Protect the Precious Foundation in Umuahia, Abia State, Yesufu called for the removal of social and cultural barriers limiting women’s progress and participation in leadership.

She decried the bias often shown against female political aspirants and officeholders, saying women have been unfairly denied their rightful place in the nation’s political landscape.

“They have been denied the opportunity for them to actually own their space.

“No matter how bad a man is, nobody says he can’t be President but the moment a woman is running, she will be told a woman can’t be President,” she said.

Yesufu commended the Lead Person of Protect the Precious Foundation, Norah Okafor, for her advocacy towards creating a safer and more supportive environment for the girl child. She also urged the Federal Government to abolish all harmful traditional practices against widows.

In her remarks, the wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adaeze Emetu, said her office is committed to protecting the rights of girls, widows and other vulnerable groups in the state.

Earlier, the foundation’s Lead Person, Norah Okafor, encouraged young girls to speak out against abuse or any form of threat, assuring them that her organisation would continue to amplify their voices.