1 week ago
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A civilian nine group, Inclusive Access Development (IAD), has advocated enactment for the measure seeking to guarantee reserved legislative seats for women.
The projected legislation, Reserved Seats for Women Bill 2025, would warrant women dedicated seats successful Nigeria’s legislative bodies.
The radical said though women represent astir fractional of Nigeria’s population, their practice successful governmental and decision-making spaces remains alarmingly low.
It believed that the measure offers a applicable solution to span this spread and institutionalise sex inclusion successful governance.
Speaking during an advocacy store successful Gombe, enforcement manager of IAD, Sadiq Yahaya, said the organisation volition not relent until the measure is passed, assented to, and domesticated crossed the country.
“We are determined to spot this measure done – from transition to afloat implementation – truthful that Nigerian women tin yet person a dependable successful governance, conscionable arsenic it has successfully worked successful countries similar Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.”
He expressed optimism that the bill, which has already passed archetypal and 2nd readings astatine the National Assembly, stands a bully accidental of becoming law.
However, helium stressed that continuous nationalist engagement, some online and offline, remains captious to prolong momentum.
Yahaya peculiarly urged stakeholders successful bluish Nigeria to assistance flooded taste and spiritual barriers that often bounds women’s governmental participation.
“When this measure becomes law, our women, particularly successful the North, indispensable beryllium encouraged and empowered to contention for the reserved seats truthful that we tin execute existent inclusive governance,” helium said.
At the workshop, sex advocator and assets person, Zainab Abdulfatah, lamented the persistent underrepresentation of women successful Nigeria’s legislature, describing it arsenic a large setback for democracy.
She explained that “The Reserved Seats Bill is important due to the fact that inclusiveness and practice are the lifeblood of democracy. Once we statesman to spot women arsenic susceptible of driving development, that mindset displacement unsocial volition alteration our society.”
Abdulfatah called connected accepted rulers, spiritual leaders, younker groups, and civilian nine organisations to instrumentality to their communities and advocator for the bill’s benefits.
Also addressing participants, Khalid Ahmed Kumo, Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, walked the assemblage done the lawmaking process and ongoing law amendment efforts.
He expressed assurance that the measure volition standard through, citing the Speaker’s beardown enactment and the mostly affirmative disposition of lawmakers.
The Reserved Seats for Women Bill (HB 1383) seeks to amend the constitution to make exclusive legislative seats for women – 37 successful the Senate, 37 successful the House of Representatives, and 3 per State House of Assembly – totalling 108 further seats nationwide. These seats would beryllium contested by women connected abstracted ballots without affecting existing male-held positions.
Participants astatine the store commended IAD’s committedness and pledged to enactment the run for the bill’s speedy transition and assent.
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