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From Okey Sampson Umuahia
The Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu (GUU), Abia State, Prof Gregory Ibe, has bemoaned the failure of members of the National Assembly to pass Bill 35, which sought to provide special seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.
Ibe, who was a governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, equally condemned the federal lawmakers for not passing Bill 37, which was targeted at ensuring affirmative action for women in political party administration.
Prof Ibe, in a statement by Sleek Ogwo, coordinator, Prof Gregory Ibe Media Associates (ProGIMA), said it was unfortunate that with the action of NASS, Nigeria missed an opportunity to integrate the female folk into the country’s mainstream politics through legislation.
“While commending members of both floors of the National Assembly for their due diligence in amending some contentious sections of the constitution, I, however, see their inability to overwhelmingly vote in favour of bills 35 and 37 respectively as a regrettably missed opportunity that will seriously hurt our politics in future.
“In fact, by this action, the nation missed a great opportunity of handing our daughters, sisters, wives and mothers an early International Women’s Day gift and setting a new agenda with brand new roles for female participation in the forthcoming 2023 general elections,” Ibe said.
He, therefore, appealed to members of the 36 state assemblies to correct the anomaly by voting in support of all gender bills that encourage women affirmative action.
