From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has assured that the 10th House will revisit the five gender bills rejected during the last alteration of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Kalu gave the assurance while playing host to the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC),
the NCAA, GECORN, Womanifesto and other Gender Bills Response Cluster members (GBRC), who visited him, in Abuja.
The deputy speaker, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,
Levinus Nwabughiogu said there was a need to increase women’s participation in politics. He noted that in a country like Nigeria where women and girls made up 49.32 per cent of the population, their number should reflect the proportion of representation in the majority of institutions, including the legislature.
Kalu said: “We are all aware that any society that is desirous of achieving equitable development, cannot sidestep such fundamental matters as gender equity and women empowerment.
“This is particularly important in a country like Nigeria where women and girls make up 49.32 per cent of the population. In real terms, this should reflect the proportion of representation in the majority of our institutions, including the legislature where we have only 4% of women.
“The 10th Assembly has the opportunity to further the rights of women and improve female participation in the political space, but this is dependent on all stakeholders playing their role through advocacy for the five gender bills that recommend 35% affirmative action for women in political party administration, expand the scope of citizenship by registration, reserve a quota for women in Executive cabinet positions, reserve seats for women in Federal and state Legislative Houses and expand state citizenship rights, and all other such bills.”
WARDC Director, Abiola Akiyode, in her speech, told the Deputy Speaker, that they were in the House to seek his support for the reintroduction of the gender bills.
Akiyode said: “We the members of the Gender Bills Response Cluster, seek your support to reintroduce discussion on the five gender bills on the floor of the House. As you are aware, as part of the Constitution Review process, the 9th National Assembly voted against five amendment bills, popularly known as the ‘gender bills’, aimed at using our apex law — the Constitution — to address certain issues affecting women and, in so doing, promote women’s rights in relation to citizenship, indigeneship, and political inclusion and participation.”