Reps back bill seeking to reserve special slots for women in NASS, State Assemblies

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday passed through second reading a bill seeking to reserve designated number of seats for women in the National Assembly as well as State Houses of Assembly.

Ultimately, the bill is seeking to alter Sections 48 and 49 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) to provide for one special seat reserved exclusively for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), effective after the term of the current National Assembly and subject to review every 16 years.

The proposed bill sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Benjamin Kalu, also seeks to alter Section 91 of the 1999 constitution with a view to providing for three special seats reserved exclusively for women in Houses of Assembly of each state of the Federation which shall be spread across the three senatorial districts of each state.

Speaking on the general principle of the bill after moving the motion for the second reading of the bill on behalf of the lead sponsor, Hon. Kalu who presided over the plenary session, a co-sponsor, Honourable Joshua Gana said when passed, the proposed legislation will enable the women to contribute their quota to national development.

He said: “Today, I stand before this esteemed House to lead the debate on a pivotal constitutional alteration bill that is aimed at addressing a profound imbalance in our Legislative Houses: the under-representation of women in legislative houses at the national and sub-national levels.

“This bill seeks to alter the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, specifically to provide for seat reservations for women in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.  It is anchored on the fundamental principle of equitable representation and aims to empower women by ensuring their voices are not only heard but that they actively contribute to shaping the legislative landscape and the overall development of our nation.

“The issue of gender equality and representation lies at the heart of our constitutional democracy.  Despite the constitutional guarantee of equal rights, the representation of women in our Legislative Houses has been alarmingly low.

“In the 7th, 8th, and 9th Assemblies, women accounted for only 6.4 percent, 6.1 percent and 2.7 percent of the Senate respectively; and 6.4 percent, 3.05 percent, and 4.7 percent of the House of Representatives respectively.

“These statistics underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to ensure equitable representation and amplify the voices of women in our legislative houses at the national and sub-national levels.”

Advancing the rationale behind the reservation of legislative seats for women, Gana said that Nigeria is ranking low in women’s representation in parliament.

“The rationale behind this amendment is grounded in the principles of fairness and inclusivity.  Globally, Nigeria lags behind in women’s representation in parliament, ranking among the lowest. Countries that have implemented affirmative action, like Rwanda and Andorra, have seen significant strides towards gender equality in governance.

“This bill proposes a temporary measure of seat reservation for women to catalyse similar progress in Nigeria, ensuring that women’s perspectives and priorities are fully integrated into our national and sub-national decision-making processes,” he said.

The bill further proposed consequential amendments to sections 71, 77 and 117 of the Constitution to ultimately establish special constituencies reserved exclusively for women, ensuring their direct election into and participation in legislative houses and processes at both the federal and state levels.

According to him, this will help to dismiss issues of sentiment and biases as the presiding officer.

The bill was eventually referred to the special ad-hoc committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative input.

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