A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) devoted to fighting for the rights of women across the country, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, has condemned the action of the National Assembly (NASS) of rejecting the bills it believes are relevant to enhancing the dignity of Nigerian women.
In a statement by the Executive Director (ED), Ms. Bunmi Dipo-Salami, the NGO stated that the votes against all the women-related bills, aimed at ensuring gender justice through the advancement of the rights of Nigerian women as full citizens, by the Federal lawmakers has put the lawmakers in history as the most unfriendly set of parliamentarians.
Dipo-Salami disclosed that at the commencement of the global Women’s History Month on the first day of March 2022, just few days to the International Women’s Day, 95.9 percent of male lawmakers at the National Assembly rejected all the bills aimed at enhancing the lives of Nigerian women.
Inclusive citizenship
She said: “The gender bills proposed in the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution, which sought to enhance the lives of women and provide opportunities for them to participate fully in the political and governance space as well as inclusive citizenship rights include:
“#35) Special Seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; “#36) Expansion of the scope of Citizenship by Registration (Citizenship to the foreign-born husband of a Nigerian woman); “#37) Affirmative action for Women in Political Party Administration (Grant women 35 percent affirmative action in party administration and leadership); “#68) Reserved Quota for Women (Grant 35 percent appointed positions to women).”
The ED revealed that although women make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population, they are underrepresented in the country ’s political space as presently, only 8 out of 109 Senators are women, only 22 out of 360 House of Representatives members are women, there is no female governor, and 44 out of 990 State Houses of Assembly are women.
Fundamental aspect
She asserted that inclusivity in the public space is a fundamental aspect of modern democracy, and improved representation of women has been shown to have benefits such as improved policy changes, economic growth and enhanced peace building.
The statement reads in part: “This shameless act by men who were elected by both women and men to represent them in the service of the nation is a gross display of lack of respect for the dignity and rights of women. It is also a demonstration of poor accountability for the progress of women and by implication, the progress of the nation.
“What they have said, which Nigerian women have heard loud and clear, is that we do not matter, they do not care about us, and no matter what we do, we are regarded as second-class citizens.
“We join other women’s organisations and groups, as well as well-meaning Nigerians to reject the NASS rejection; to demand that the NASS puts the advancement of women on the Agenda by approving the relevant Bills, “ she stated.
Dipo-Salami called on the government to end the patriarchal practices that undermined the dignity of women by tasking stakeholders to protecting the rights of the present and future generations of women.
Lateefah Ibrahim
