Former Minister of State for Women Affairs during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Princess Olufunke Adedoyin, has called for more participation of women in all levels of governance to enable them contribute their quota towards the socio economic and political growth of the country.

Adedoyin, a chieftain of All Progressive Congress, APC, in Kwara state, spoke yesterday in Ilorin at the first progressive women summit with the theme, "Real Development and Women Participation: "Agenda for Positive Change."

Adedoyin noted that the summit was to develop an agenda to address the issues concerning women, while harnessing ideas and suggestions to move the state forward.

She said the summit was organised in the state to "galvanize and engendering greater female political activities and participation across the state. In achieving the vision, ten women per wards in all the 193 wards in Kwara state are invited at least five of which will be card carrying members of APC while inviting the participation of at least five voters per ward to register with APC thus using the summit to increase party membership among women."

The former minister who is the convener of the first ever women summit in the state, noted that, "there is no doubt that women constitute a major stakeholder in the voting pattern in the country and therefore they should be accorded status in order to ginger them to be up and doing in the political development of the country. The days when women will be used and dumped during any elections remains a foregone conclusion as they needed to be considered in the scheme of things in the political annals of the polity. Women are now determined to work harder to be part of governance through vying for political offices so as to add values to the socio well being of the rural populace."