Tuesday, July 9, 2024 -On Tuesday, July 9, the House of Representatives passed for a second reading a constitutional amendment bill seeking to reserve additional seats for women in the state and National Assembly.
Sponsored by Deputy Speaker Hon.
Benjamin Kalu, the bill had previously passed in the 9th House but failed to
gain concurrence from both chambers, as required for constitutional amendments.
One of the sponsors, Joshua Gana,
presented the motion, emphasizing the bill's goal to address the
underrepresentation of women in legislative bodies at both national and
sub-national levels. The bill aims to alter the Constitution to provide
reserved seats for women in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Gana highlighted that the bill is
founded on the principle of equitable representation, aiming to empower women
and ensure their active contribution to legislative processes and national
development.
"Gender equality and
representation are fundamental to our constitutional democracy. Despite the
guarantee of equal rights, women's representation in our Legislative Houses
remains alarmingly low," he said. Gana cited statistics showing that in
the 7th, 8th, and 9th Assemblies, women accounted for only 6.4%, 6.1%, and 2.7%
of the Senate respectively, and 6.4%, 3.05%, and 4.7% of the House of
Representatives respectively.
The bill proposes alterations to
Sections 48 and 49 to reserve one special seat exclusively for women in the
Senate and House of Representatives for each state and the Federal Capital
Territory, effective after the current National Assembly term and subject to
review every sixteen years. It also seeks to alter Section 91 to reserve three
special seats for women in each State House of Assembly, spread across the
three senatorial districts of each state. Additionally, it seeks consequential
amendments to sections 71, 77, and 117 to establish special constituencies for
women, ensuring their direct election and participation in legislative
processes at both federal and state levels.
While all speakers supported the
bill's second reading, some members cautioned against passing a law that could
conflict with the Constitution's principles. The Minority Leader highlighted
the abnormality of Nigeria's low ranking in women's representation, with only
about 3.9 percent of parliament members being women.
The bill now moves forward to
relevant committees for further legislative action.
0 Comments