The increasing rate of violence against women in Nigeria is alarming and worrisome, the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said.
In a statement on Tuesday to commemorate the #ViolenceAgainstWomenDay, the presidential candidate regretted that despite the hardship confronted by women in Nigeria, they were subjected to violence.
According to her, the case of violence against women has worsened in Nigeria to the extent it now starts from childhood.
She said, “Nigerian women are going through the toughest challenge in the world. The recent takeover of Nigeria as the world headquarters of corruption justifies that Nigerian women are facing disappointing moments. A situation where women are molested, beaten, and harassed is not acceptable and should be condemned by all.
“Instead of the government of the day to work on eradicating violence against women, it is busy passing the bulk. The situation of women is now so bad that they have become preys in the hands of terrorists and negotiating tools of the Federal Government.
“Everyday, I wake up to feel the pains of females who are born into families dominated with violence, where their fathers and mothers cannot make ends meet, and where they are exposed to the brutal beating of their mothers by fathers.”
Ezekwesili, who urged Nigeria women not to lose hope, appealed to them to stand up for their rights as the 2019 election draws nearer.
She cautioned them against being deceived by candidates who had failed them in the past, and assured them of equal representation in her cabinet if she emerged as president.
Lamenting the continuous detention of girls by Boko Haram terrorists, Ezekwesili added, “Each time I remember that some of our beloved daughters and mothers are still with the terrorists, I feel extremely sad and uncomfortable that our government has failed us by prioritising politics and power beyond security of lives.”