By Peter Jatau, Abuja.
The clamour for gender inclusion took centre stage on Monday as women leaders and advocates pressed the National Assembly to finally pass the long-debated Gender Bill. The call came during the National Public Hearing on the Constitution Authorization Bill, held in Abuja under the leadership of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Ph.D., CFR.
The event, convened by the 10th House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in partnership with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Center (PLAC) and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, brought together civil society groups and women’s rights advocates.
Hon.Dr.Asabe Vilita Bashir.
DG/CEO Marayam Babangida National Centre For Women’s Development, who spoke on behalf of Nigerian women, said the struggle for gender inclusion has dragged for too long and must not be ignored any further.
“This Gender Bill is our bill. It has been in and out of the National Assembly for a very long time,” She declared. “We are mothers, we carry pregnancies for nine months, we endure labour, we breastfeed and raise the children, and on election day it is women who stand under the sun and rain to cast votes. All we are asking is a small number of reserved seats for women in the legislature. We are not asking to take from men.”
She appealed directly to lawmakers, likening their responsibility to that of children honouring their mothers. “No child can refuse a request from their mother. This time around, as mothers, we speak up with one voice,” she said.
The women’s representatives urged the National Assembly to demonstrate political will by reserving a modest number of seats – two or three in each chamber – for women, while leaving the remaining 360 and 109 seats intact for men.
Observers at the public hearing noted that the push reflects long-standing frustrations of Nigerian women who say they have been sidelined in political representation despite their contributions to nation-building.
The Constitution Review Committee is expected to consider submissions from stakeholders in the coming weeks before presenting recommendations to the House.
