Bishop Kukah advocates for 30% women inclusion in politics
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Hassan Kukah, has advocated for 30 per cent of women inclusion in politics adding, it must go to women who represent the common people.
Kukah made this disclosure as a keynote speaker in Benin City at an event dubbed “Parents Summit” organized by the state government as part of activities to mark the 2023 Education Week Friday.
While calling for 30 percent political appointment for women, Kukah said, but with a provision that only women of competence and not those related to people already in power, should be so appointed.
The man of God also called on parents to desist from encouraging short-cut to success in education while urging Nigerians to cooperate with government to strengthen education in the country
The cleric hailed the efforts of Governor Godwin Obaseki on repositioning the education sector in the state.
He said, “I am fully in support of women getting 30% of power in Nigeria but my argument is that it cannot be the same women whose husbands are already holding power in Abuja and across the country, it is nothing personal, it is the reality, you cannot tell me that the Igbos, the Yorubas, the Fulanis and the Hausas who are already holding power, should bring their wives and their mistresses and their daughters to become ministers and senators and so on. If you are going to do 30%, that 30% must go to women who represent the common people, it is not about just saying any woman at all.”
While lamenting the disruption of standard and quality of education, Kukah observed that some parents were only interested in the grades their wards come out with mostly because of the fees they paid.
He sated furthee that this had adversely affected some Catholic Mission schools because they are sticklers their rules.
“I really want to comment on your strides and how far you have travelled and privileged education as the key and the guarantee of the future of our people, and the world. Education, not only is it the leveller of society, it is the substitute for godfatherism, the substitute for nepotism and the antidote to what has held us back.
“I commend your government for the decision to reinvent, to reposition and to restrategize about how the world must see the people of Edo State because all of us know very well that in the last 20 or so years if you mention Edo, you yourself know what you became notorious for so, this great effort in my view is sufficiently worthy of commendation and appreciation because if you position your state, you will be able to compete effectively, and efficiently in the 21st century.
“The Holy Prophet of Islam was said to have said that we must all seek knowledge, even if it takes you to China because at that time, China was like the end of the world.”
Kukah said despite his humble background, “Education has taken me to the table of the rich, the high and the mighty. So education is a system of the transmission of knowledge. What kind of knowledge do we transmit, that is the critical question. Many parents want the easy road for their children but there must be collaboration with the government to have centres of excellence. Costa Rica invested in education and today they have the highest threshold in education, about 90 per cent educated population.”
At the event, Governor Obaseki had earlier called for the maintenance of the reforms he introduced in the education sector after leaving office.
“As we go into the next stage of the reform, what is now important and critical is that we should be able to sustain what we have started. By the grace of God, I will finish on November 11, 2024, but EDOBEST will not come to an end. And so what we’ve been doing this week is to highlight the achievements, the reforms that we have, how we have gone about these reforms, the progress we have made and also, to let you know what still needs to be done. Parents have been very critical.”