From Tunji Omofoye, Ibadan

She said men had continued to use their domineering influence to hijack the political scene to the disadvantage of the female folk, though the bulk of votes was being cast by women during elections.

Mrs. Ladoja spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, while presenting a scorecard of her pet project to journalists in the state.

According to her, the involvement of women in political activities would help in bringing stability due to the nature of the gender, stressing that women at all levels should be granted concession to ensure equity.

Said she: "Women in the country deserve better representation in all facets of the nation's politics. The womenfolk and their numerical strength in the society should be harnessed to achieve the objective".

The founder of IDEF said she would use the forum to propagate women participation in politics to tap their potential for national development.

Mrs. Ladoja, who urged women to embrace different programmes aimed at alleviating poverty in the country, noted that her pet project had recorded success in the areas of healthcare services, welfare, awareness

campaigns, education, as well as economic empowerment.

According to her, 20 lunatics have been picked from the streets, treated and rehabilitated by the foundation while two heart patients were assisted for surgery abroad.

"Under the Idera-De Educational Scholarship Scheme, over 30 indigent

pupils including the disabled, have benefited from the scheme and 200 women have also received financial assistance to establish small-scale businesses", she stressed.

She noted that the awareness campaign of the foundation on the HIV/AIDS scourge had also yielded positive results, adding that the foundation had succeeded in extending the campaign against the spread of the disease in rural communities.