"His Commissioner Who Raped A Woman In Front Of Her 3-year-old Son Is Still In Office"__Group Slams UN Women For Commending Gov Bello

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A civil society organisation, Emerge Women, has said the appointment of 21 female deputy chairpersons in Kogi State deserves no commendation from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

UN Women had written a commendation letter and demanded a visit to Governor Yahaya Bello for his passion with appointing women into political offices.

 The group said the commendation letter for the appointment and not the election of chairpersons undermines the work they do to ensure credible elections at the LG level.

The group said that under these curious circumstances, it will be hard to see the UN Women in Nigeria as unbiased or objective. Clearly, the Kogi Governor's election took the life of a Woman, Mrs. Salome Acheju Abuh, a PDP Women Leader who was burnt alive in her house after Kogi State elections. Also, one Natasha Akpoti was viciously attacked and violated for seeking election as Governor of Kogi State.

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It alleged that a commissioner in the state raped a young woman in the presence of her 3-year-old son without the governor reprimanding him and he is still a commissioner in Kogi State! 

These are among other human rights infringements on women in that state which we cannot recount here yet in all these, the UN Women office in Nigeria never issued a press release to condemn these inhumane and disheartening events nor offer a statement seeking justice.

Emerge Women is calling on all women and right groups in the country and globally to join in calling on the UN group, to reconsider the letter of commendation to Bello for withdrawal and cancellation of the planned visit as a sign of respect for all women who were victims of political violence and injustice in the previous state elections.

"We believe the UN Women's commendation is faulty, questionable and unfortunate giving the ills committed against women under the watch of the incumbent governor of Kogi State. So long as activists set the bar low, nothing substantive will be achieved. We cannot say we stand for gender rights and then go out to praise those who brazenly and publicly violate the rights and lives of women."

"This is one of the issues we have with the UN Women's letter. We cannot be crying out for credible elections at the council level and simultaneously commending a governor who is stifling that process. For us, the act is illegal, and therefore the UN Women's letter is an endorsement of illegality," it said.

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