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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has said the House will vote on the constitution alteration bills, including the proposed legislation seeking special legislative seats for women, in October, after its annual recess.
He stated this at a roundtable reception on the Reserved Seats For Women Bill organised by The Osasu Show (TOS) in Abuja, yesterday.
Halu explained that the special seats bill he sponsored with 12 others is aimed at deepening democracy in the country and implored women groups to reach out to all relevant stakeholders for support it.
“As the sponsor of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, I want to make this abundantly clear: this bill is not borne out of sentiment. It is born out of reason, out of evidence, out of the stubborn facts of our current reality. It is rooted in the belief that justice delayed is democracy denied.
“Nigeria is a nation of over 220 million people, and nearly half (49.3 percent) of this population are women. And yet, the number of women who sit at the table of power in this country is painfully low. In the current 10th National Assembly, only 19 out of 469 legislators are women (just 3.8 percent). In the House of Representatives, there are only 15 women out of 360.
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“In the Senate, only four out of 109. Across all 36 states, we have not a single female governor. And in our
State Houses of Assembly (out of 991 seats) only 45 are occupied by women. That’s a mere 4.5 percent.
“Keep the advocacy alive. Keep doing it, keep lobbying, there’s no time. We don’t have time. It’s our desire to vote on these constitutional review provisions once we are back from recess. That’s to show you there’s no time.
The people you are talking to must be people who have influence over those that will vote or the voters themselves. So tell your religious leaders, political big players, the wives of the parliamentarians and so on.
“The language of advocacy should change too. Appeal to them. Reach out to prominent women in this country. Let them come on board. Reach out to influencers, there’s no time. Barely 60 days remaining.”
Kalu also appealed to the political parties, the media and Nigerians in general to support the bill, noting that his office is always ready to give the needed technical insights.
