On November 29, 2018, active citizens gathered to discuss “key issues leading to the 2019 elections” and prominent among these issues is how people with disabilities have been relatively barred from actively participating in election matters.
Thursday Talks Lagos is a monthly conversation with thought leaders, change agents and active citizens that holds every last Thursday of the month and is organised by YNaija, Enough is Enough (EiE) and BudgIT.
The theme for the November edition is “Elections & Inequality: A discourse on the key issues leading to 2019 elections” and had Dr. Yinka Akindayomi (Specialist in Community Paediatrics, Children’s Developmental Centre) and Folahan Johnson (Senior Programme Officer, BudgIT) on the panel.
See talking points from this edition below:
- Gender inequality is not an obvious phenomenon in terms of elections but in the context of culture, we cannot deny the fact that women are been left out of so many things – Folahan Johnson.
- People with disabilities are not given the right information (the right way) and so, these people are invariably less informed on election matters – Dr Akindayomi.
- There are too many barriers for people with disabilities. We do not even consider them on the agenda – Dr Akindayomi.
- We cannot keep waiting for NGOs or civil societies to fight for us. We all have to be part of the fight – Folarin.
- When there is inequality of education, there will be same low level of civic skills – Dr Akindayomi.
- I do not quite agree with the recent declaration that Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world. The question is: “where do they get the figures from”? How do we define poverty? Is it spiritual or physical or what? – Dr Akindayomi.
- When there is inequality of education, there will be same low level of civic skills. I do not quite agree with the recent declaration that Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world. The question is: “where do they get the figures from”? – Dr Akindayomi.
- We need to increase the awareness for people with disabilities; take it to our communities – a participant.
- Women, indeed, come out to contest for elections but society has not fully accepted that women can effectively take up leadership roles – Folarin.
- Women come out to contest but the major barrier is that Nigeria is a male-dominated society. Women do not always have the platform to talk about gender inequality and so, they are discriminated against – Dr Akindayomi.
The conversation does not end… join in and be an active voice.
Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram
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