The Abuja Municipal Area Council candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Eric Ibe, has added comic relief to his campaign with a promise to take over 1,200 commercial sex workers off the capital of the streets if elected as chairman.
According to him, women and girls in the FCT were allowed to “disgracefully sell their bodies every night” to afford food and other basic necessities for their families.
Ibe stated this during the FCT Council Chairmanship Debate organised by The Pink Vote Movement and aired on Wazobia FM in Abuja on Friday.
He said, “We conduct research and discovered that about 1,285 women and girls prostitute on the streets of Abuja every night. This figure is very alarming and disturbing.
“We must see what we can do to put a stop to all of this. The people we are talking about are our wives, sisters and daughters. So, we have to do what must be done to get them off the streets.
“Against this background, we have identified some civil society organisations that are ready to collaborate with the government to ensure that we give these women and girls a better life.”
On her part, the candidate of the National Rescue Movement, Minabo Horsfall, said she will focus on helping the people, especially women, to achieve success in material and financial terms, if elected.
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She said, “My biggest plan for the women is collective prosperity for them through empowerment and education. I will put a scholarship structure in place for bright and exceptional students from indigent backgrounds.”
Speaking also, the Africa Democratic Congress flag-bearer, David Zamani, promised to ensure strict enforcement of laws against gender-based violence, if elected.
He said, “My basic agenda for women is to present them with basic and social amenities. We’ll also provide them with relevant skills for empowerment as well as protect them through the strict enforcement of the laws against gender-based violence.”
Earlier, the Executive Director of Engage, Empower, Educate Initiative, Belema Meshack-Hart, explained that the ‘Pink Debate’ was organised to mainstream gender-based issues in Nigeria’s electoral system.
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