By Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been asked to live up to its responsibilities to Nigerians by blocking all avenues to money politics before, during and after the 2023 general elections.
The FCT Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, made the call in a communique issued at the end of its congress over the weekend at the NUJ FCT Council secretariat, Abuja; signed by the Chairperson Comrade Annah Daniel and Assistant Secretary, Comrade Gloria Josaih, also called on INEC to ensure that aspirants conform to stipulated spending for their various positions
The communique, frowned at what NAWOJ described as the seeming partisan move by the electoral umpire in shifting the date for submission of list of candidates thereby giving the ruling party undue advantage over other parties just as it applauded Nigeria women for participating actively in the primary elections as well as the increased number of women who have emerged as their party flag bearers.
The Association, called on the Federal Government to ensure that the 2003 Child Rights Act is domesticated in all states of the federation and family courts established in all the states.
NAWOJ, while lamenting the poor state of the Nigerian child and the deteriorating standard of education compounded by perennial industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has left many youths, idle thereby, leading to increasing incidences of rape, kidnapping petty theft and other violent crimes, implored the public especially the media to monitor the implementation of established laws mostly where it concerns women and children.
The communique further urged the Federal Government to live up to its Constitutional duty of protecting lives and property of the citizenry and decried the spate of insecurity in the country in which women and children are the most vulnerable.
