To the general conversation on states that have shown any semblance of development Abia state has over the years been missing in the ethos of good governance and most tragically support for women’s inclusion in governance.

The high level of sycophancy and the misguided deliberate attempts to put up defense on this matter by government cronies have so very far failed.

The citizens are awakened and aware of the abject poverty and disservice to the populace by the white washed elephant projects.

It is pitiable and an absolute ridicule to the sensibilities of the progressive minds of the people of abia especially the women, that the government of the day under the administration of the non-excellent Okezie Ikpeazu which has chosen to strip the essence of the month of march which is a month that commemorates the efforts and issues as it concerns women all over the world by the senile outburst by Barr. Eze Chikamnayo Honorable Commissioner for misinformation for Abia State on the deputy chief whip of the house of representative, Rt Honorable Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

The commissioner obviously lacks cognition and any sense of sanity to spill his unfortunate rantings against the woman who sponsored the extra seat bill for women which raised the bar for women’s rights in Nigeria and seeks to open up the space for women’s participation in politics across the country.

A bill that is part of the demands been made by the Nigerian women as a result of the failure of the gender bills at the parliament, which has   given rise to the mother of all protest by Nigerian women at the gates of the national assembly for the second week running.

It is practical that the state government of Abia has no understanding of its role to the women population in abia state and no sense of inclusion after all abia state is the only south east state to not have any woman in its state of assembly an outright shame on the map of the south east.

Across the country women’s voices are been emboldened and given the right of place, we have seen leaders speak out on the injustice on the failure of the bill and need to empower women yet Abia state through its cronies and ill-equipped aide accomplice not only have failed to speak up on the issues at the fore front but also have shown that they do not respect the rights of women and their unequivocal right of association, expression and engagement.

The level of women’s marginalization in abia state is abysmal.

The factors that have led to marginalization of women include the misogynistic tendencies against women that have been allowed to thrive, ineffective governance, poverty, unemployment and lack of sustainable development in a state that prides itself as a hub for industrialization, Gender stereotypes and Deprivation as experienced in the attacks on the very few women who are setting visible standards for effective leadership

Under this administration, it is obvious the project abia state and its development is only a dream and will most likely leave the citizens slumbering until they decide to exercise their rights at the ballot by voting out a government that has no conscience for its actions or the foresight for the need for inclusion and its impact on its development.

The Demystification of the biases and the stereotypes that limit women starts from the redefinition of the values of those who take charge d’affaires of the state, it starts from the narrative on gender identities and how those in office embolden them or illuminate them and the executive in abia has failed in this regard, in not only its disrespect to the Nigerian women at a time when voices and leaders across the world are converging to break the bias that limits and dehumanizes women.

Women must arise against any stance of oppression and for abia state it is about time or else we may as well consider ourselves endangered species in democratic calculations of our polity.

Pearl Amarachukwu

 Research Executive Women’s voices global network, Nigeria.