ABUJA – The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) on Wednesday said it would train 81 ad-hoc election
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observers to ensure that women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) vote rightly.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
Mr Anthony Abu, Coordinator, Research and Communications of the fun, said this in an interview with [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said that the forum was highly concerned on gender association in the electoral process.
Abu said the fund was gender sensitive which had prompted them to coach observers who would monitor the general performance of women during the coming elections.
He said that these observers would be given a “checklist” that guides their conduct as they carry out [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]their functions.
“These observers are to scrutinise the priority given to women during the voting process, especially women with disabilities and pregnant women.
“Also they will be observing how Nigerians cast their vote and give support to women.
“They will also abide by the code of conduct provided by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and at the end they will report back to us what they observed as it concerns women,” he said.
Part of the schedule for the observers includes “attending all INEC briefings when invited; reporting to the leadership of their organisation on any conflict of interest.”
Others include “maintenance of strict impartiality in the conduct of their duties, no acceptance of gifts or favours that might influence their work’’, said the coordinator.
Abu said that the training would be conducted in the six local council areas of the FCT.
The training, he also said, is open to individuals, other gender non-governmental organisations and stakeholders.
Abu said that the fund was partnering with other stakeholders to ensure that women were accorded fair treatment.
“The stakeholders involved in this partnership cuts across developmental partners and gender equity partners,” he said.
The coordinator identified that the involvement of more women in the electoral process would engender the sensitivity to gender issues. (NAN)
