Imo Assembly Pledges Support For Gender-based Governance

Imo State House of Assembly has expressed its readiness to enactment the implementation of the 35 per cent affirmative enactment and different nationalist policies that volition warrant women’s inclusivity and sex equity successful the state.

The chairman, House Committee connected Women Affairs, Hon. Bernard Ozoemelam, stated this erstwhile helium received members of the Imo State Implementation Group connected Women, Peace and Security, SIG-WPS, who were connected an advocacy sojourn to his office.

Ozoemelam noted that the House has, successful caller times, presented and passed motions and bills that question to heighten women’s capableness improvement arsenic good arsenic beforehand their progressive information successful governance of the state.

While commending the implementation radical for the visit, the Imo lawmaker reiterated the House’s committedness to spouse immoderate organisation and radical with developmental ideas and strategies that would beforehand the wide well-being of Imo radical and the authorities astatine large.

Dr. Blessing Azubuike of the State Ministry of Women Affairs, Ifeoma Obinwa, programme assistant, Alliances for Africa, AfA, Hon. Uju Onwudiwe, erstwhile assembly member, Ndidi Val-Okeoma, a quality rights lawyer, Udochukwu Chukwu, societal crusader, among different members of the radical noted that the sojourn was aimed astatine amplifying women’s voices successful bid and information argumentation dialogues for the enforcement of the 3rd National Action Plan, NAP connected UNSCR 1325 successful the state.

They decried what they described arsenic the underrepresentation of women successful the governmental and administrative scenery of the state, adding that implementing the 35% affirmative enactment is simply a strategical necessity for dependable leadership, adherence to antiauthoritarian principles and the prosperity of the state.

Obinwa said, “The 35% Affirmative Action rule is rooted successful Nigeria’s National Gender Policy (2006). This argumentation recommends that women represent astatine slightest 35% of practice successful some the elective and appointive positions successful the nationalist assemblage to guarantee capable and equitable information successful decision-making processes.

“Globally, Nigeria is committed to respective instruments, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5), which advocator for adjacent governmental participation. However, contempt these nationalist and planetary commitments, women presently clasp lone astir 4.2% of seats successful the National Assembly.”

“Nations that see women astatine the decision-making array are much stable, much innovative and much prosperous. This is not astir women versus men. This is astir Nigeria versus stagnation. It is astir ensuring that the champion minds, careless of gender, are brought guardant to lick the pressing challenges of our time: security, economical growth, clime change, and societal cohesion,” Azubuike added.

The implementation group, inaugurated aboriginal this year, has representatives from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Justice, National Orientation Agency, NOA, National Human Rights Commission, Civil Society Organisations, accepted and spiritual institutions, media, among others.