The coalition of women groups rooting for gender equality in Nigeria has said it would trace all legislators who voted against the four bills that would have engendered women’s inclusion in Nigeria and ensure they are not returned in 2023.
This position was reiterated at the Abuja protest where a women’s group blocked the main entrance to the National Assembly demanding the legislators to rescind her decision on the four bills.
Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Senior Fellow, at the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) said this and condemned the National Assembly for what he described as an irresponsible action.
Professor Jibrin said the National Assembly had no reason to throw all bills geared towards gender equality and national inclusion of the womenfolk, especially, as the advocacy had been in since 1999.
“The national assembly is composed of men who carry out irresponsible action and in this situation, where since the coming of the National Assembly in 1999, we’ve been engaged in advocacy, using every means known to political advocacy, to get women placed on the equality, pedestal with men.
“We felt awful. Therefore, at the last minutes of the Constitutional changes over the very Cavalier manner in which they throughout each and every bill that will promote equality between men.
“This is totally unacceptable. In Nigeria of today. We’ve always known that we live in a patriarchal society where some men believe women exist only to serve them.
“I think the point being made today and for quite some time, is that every society needs to change? Nigeria needs to change. And the argument this time is that if they are not going to listen to reason, we’ve got to hit them where it hurts them most. We are going to hit them at the power base.
“They are in the National Assembly, where they pay themselves scandalous, salaries, and their allowance is among the highest in the country.
If you can behave anyhow, and get away with it because they are so much of stolen money, resources under their disposal. I think the only way forward is to identify all those legislators who voted down those bills, mobilize massively and effectively and ensure that they do not return to the National Assembly.
“That is the only way to hurt them. In a normal parliamentary system, Hansard should have given us the list of all those guilty persons who voted down those bills.
“They have hidden the names because the guilty are always what they always have, Fred. We are here to tell them, we will find their names out and we will publish them. We will campaign against them and make sure they shall not return to the National has my final Point.
“This should not be viewed as a struggle for women only, men must join this struggle because it’s our wives and daughters who are our children; who are mothers that are suffering from patriarchy in our society and if we have a more equal society, every member of the community would advance.
Frank Tie-tie, Founder of the Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Right (CASER) maintained that the National Assembly would permanently lack sleep because it has Murdered sleep.
Among the protesters was a three-year-old girl, Grace Ochanya Ngbede, who posed with a banner demanding more seats for Nigerian Women.
Among the bills are billed 35 and 37 which sought a special parliamentary seat for women it the read “35. Special Seats for Women An Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for related matters
While bill 37 reads “Affirmative Action for Women in Political Party Administration A Bill For An Act to alter the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration and; for related matters,” among others.
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