As the world celebrates the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD), the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has urged the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, accelerate actions to ensure the passage of the bill seeking reservation of seats for women elected into the Parliaments.
The Party, which joined millions of Nigerians to celebrate the 2025 International Women’s Day with the theme “For All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” urged women to ensure active participation in politics in order to contribute to the development of the country.
The party also added its voice to demand an end to discrimination and violence against women and girls, stressing that the IWD is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
The ZLP further called to action for accelerating women’s rights, equality, and empowerment.
The first International Women’s Day started in 1911 and has been sustained to forge gender parity, raise awareness about discrimination and violence against women and girls, and the urgent need to empower them to maximise their potential, thus contributing to nation-building.
According to the ZLP, “This year’s International Women’s Day marks 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It is unfortunate that after 30 years of subscribing to the Beijing Declaration in 1995, governments at all levels in Nigeria are yet to allocate the basic 30% seats for women in elective and appointive positions.”
“This has necessitated the ongoing bill in the National Assembly for the reservation of special seats for women in Parliaments,” it added.
Zenith Labour Party urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the crucial bill and pass it this year, opining that, “It will be a giant step forward in advancing women’s participation in politics.”
Mrs Chinyere Oge-Kalu, National Woman Leader, ZLP, in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday by the National Publicity Secretary, Khalid Arewa, stated that, “It is time for action. It is time to empower women and girls, and end discrimination and violence against them.”
The Women Leader stated that, “We are supporting a bill to reserve seats for women in Parliaments as being sponsored by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu.”
She concluded by stressing that, “It is time to accelerate gender equality for all women and girls. It is time to run inclusive government and respect women’s rights. It is time to make Nigeria great again by involving more women in leadership.”
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