By Beryl Odele
…Advocates Women’s Rights, Greater Role in Governance
The National Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Aisha Ibrahim Kwaya-Bura, has declared that the association will no longer tolerate a system where women play critical roles in development but remain sidelined in decision-making processes.
She made this known during a NAWOJ sensitisation outreach held at Wuse Market in the Federal Capital Territory over the weekend.
According to Kwaya-Bura, NAWOJ rejects a reality where women are subjected to violence and expected to endure in silence, or where access to healthcare remains a struggle despite women’s contributions to national development.
She stressed that her leadership comes with a clear mandate to speak out, challenge injustices, and take decisive action.
“We are drawing a line,” she said. “No more silence on gender-based violence. No more ignorance about health and reproductive rights. No more exclusion from economic opportunities, and no more absence of women in leadership, especially as the 2027 elections approach.”
The NAWOJ Chairperson emphasized that women are not merely preparing to participate in elections but are determined to influence outcomes, assume leadership positions, and secure victories at the polls.
She further declared that the time has come for women to transition “from being spectators in governance to becoming power brokers.”
Kwaya-Bura urged women across the country not to underestimate their collective voice or relinquish their rights, but to actively engage in shaping their future.
Abuja Times reports that she called on women to organise, mobilise, participate in the electoral process, vote, and remain informed about their rights while standing firm in defending them.
Reaffirming NAWOJ’s commitment, she assured that women will neither retreat nor remain silent until they are fully informed, empowered, and adequately represented in all spheres of governance.
“Women are not asking for space anymore,” she concluded. “We are claiming it.”