Senators drum up support for 219 additional seats for women in both Chambers of National Assembly, all State Assemblies

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has said the Nigerian Senate is in support of 111 additional seats for women in both chambers of the National Assembly and 108 additional seats for women in all state assemblies across Nigeria.

Omo-Agege who was represented by his Special Assistant on Legal and Constitution, Daniel Bwala said this during a town hall on the proposed “Reserved Seat Bill” legislation to create additional special seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

Bwala stated that his boss, Ovie Omo-Agege, and his colleagues in the Senate are all in support of the bill. The bill is part of the ongoing Constitutional amendment in the 9th Assembly, which is: “A Bill for An Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to create additional special seats for Women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.”

The town hall which was held on Friday, December 2 and streamed live on Channels Television and YouTube was organised by ElectHER in partnership with Yiaga Africa and the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). The organisers said the event was geared towards raising public awareness about the bill and its potential to directly lead to an increase in women’s political representation.

Bwala said the principal was excited about the bill, adding that he had initially pushed for similar bills that protect the rights of women. His words: “The role women play in the nation are roles you cannot deny and their influence is immeasurable.” He noted that the most powerful countries in the world advocate inclusion, adding that there is a need to escalate the conversation on women inclusion in politics in Nigeria through advocacy at the grassroots level.

Bwala also recommended that the law must also be amended to mandate political parties to adhere to the provision of the bill that reserves additional seats for women in the parliament. Sponsor of the bill, Honourable Nkeiruka Onyejeocha expressed optimism that it will scale through, adding that at least over 120 male lawmakers are behind the bill including the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila who she said is a co-sponsor.

She said the bill was proposed due to the experience that women have gone through in recent years. Also speaking, the House committee chairperson on electoral matters Honourable Aishatu lamented the age-long marginalization of women in politics. She said beyond the cultural barrier women face, there is a deliberate manipulation of the system by men to restrict women participation in politics to just voting and campaign materials.

Her words: “It’s sad that Nigeria has less than 1% female representation in Nigeria. My biggest fear on the passage of this bill is the commitment of the National Assembly and the political parties.” On her part, Honourable Nnenna Ukeje, a former House of Representatives member revealed that Abia is the only state without a female house of Assembly member. She said the age-long stereotypes have also hindered women and they face the same hurdles across the country. (Source: Legit.ng)