By Paul Effiong, Abuja
House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development has reiterated the importance of having more women through special representation at the parliament.
Chairman of the committee, Kafilat Ogbara, disclosed this during a media briefing yesterday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
She noted that such initiative would enable women to contribute adequately for effective nation building.
The Special Seat for Women in Parliament Bill, co-sponsored by Ogbara, is meant to tackle low women representation in parliament.
Ogbara observed that women constitute nearly half of Nigeria’s population, even though they remain grossly underrepresented in all elective positions in the country.
The lawmaker disclosed how she had equally sponsored another bill aimed at increasing female representation in security agencies, stating that when eventually passed, the bill would mandate a minimum of 15 percent female enlistment and appointment in those agencies.
According to the lawmaker, “The bill seeks to correct all forms of imbalance by constitutionally reserving seats for women in both national and state assemblies.”
She also lauded the support from Speaker Tajudeen Abbas over what she termed “He-for-She leadership style,” as well as the strong backing from the first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, whom she disclosed had openly championed the cause of women’s inclusion in leadership roles.
She described the bill as a landmark legislation capable of transforming Nigeria’s democratic landscape by guaranteeing that women have a stronger voice in governance and policy-making.
According to her, the proposed legislation, when passed into law, will provide for reserved seats for women in the Senate, as well as in the House of Representatives, with three additional reserved seats for women in each state House of Assembly.
She noted that inclusivity is a central focus, pointing out that the framework was deliberately drafted to ensure full participation of women from diverse backgrounds and social status.
Among the categories of females to to considered, as proposed by the bill, include young women, women with disabilities and those from marginalised grassroots communities.
In her presentation, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Ireti Kingibe commended Speaker Abbas for the deliberate action towards the passage of the bill into law.
According to her, the proposed bill will also set out a clear implementation framework, as well as mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to design guidelines for nominations and elections into the reserved seats for women, while monitoring and evaluating system should be established to assess full impact spanning over four election cycles.
Speaking, the Resident Representative in Nigeria, United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Ms Elsie Attafuah commended the Super Falcons for their victory in sports.
Shw explained that the bill was not just about numbers, but justice and competence.
Attafuah, who called for women’s voices across all strata of governance in Nigeria, urged Nigerians to borrow a leaf from Rwanda where several seats in parliament are controlled by women.
