Women should be accorded more opportunities to participate in governance, especially, in the traditional institution and grassroots, the Chairman of Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, Dame Anengi Claude-Wilcox has said.

Dame Claude-Wilcox said this on Thursday, September 21, 2023 while speaking as a discussant at the Annual O. B. Fubara Memorial Gold Lecture/Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Rivers State Chapter in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Commenting on the event’s theme, “The Role of Traditional Institutions in Community Peace and Youth Development in the Niger Delta”, the Bonny LGA Chairman pointed out that with the increasing roles of women in the political and business space in recent times there is need to accord them greater recognition in the traditional space.

“Coming from this part of the world, I know you will agree with me that we are beginning to identify women when it comes to traditional issues and that is one big factor we have to overcome.”

“Before now, it’s been difficult for women to speak in traditional gatherings. So, when you want to talk about tradition and culture and all of that, especially, from a place like Bonny, you don’t picture a woman in all of it. Most of the institutions are populated by men, so it gives the woman little contribution to all the traditions.”

“It is just of recent because of Western life and government, we now have women sitting at the helm of affairs and you are dealing with these traditional rulers and I can tell you, it is still too many an aberration because they seem not to understand that you are dealing with a woman at this level of governance.”

She reiterated the fact that being a woman is not a deficiency as such their involvement must increase if re-engineering of the polity is to take place, informing that her administration has been intentional on facilitating a functional partnership between the traditional rulers and the government.

In a post-event interview, the Bonny LGA chief executive praised the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) for organizing the lecture, noting that such discourse on teething issues affecting the polity would help deepen the understanding of the populace and enhance informed intervention by public sector players.

“It’s applauding, it’s commendable and it’s encouraging. When I got a wind of the program I actually appreciated it because it goes a long way to build up this collaboration between government and these traditional institutions.”

Other discussants at the lecture, which was moderated by a former State Chairman of the NIPR Rivers State Chapter, Karibi George, include Kingsley Ibanichuka, Francis Asuk, and Bridget Okon.

Highpoint of the event was the conferment of awards on deserving members of the NIPR in the State by the outgoing State Chairman, Paulinus Nsirim, as well the inauguration of newly elected executive members of the chapter to steer the affairs of the NIPR for the next dispensation.