The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has supported the reconsideration of the five gender bills rejected by the 9th National Assembly in 2022.
Kalu gave his backing on Thursday in Abuja in his address at the social media action and launch of advocacy hashtag and signature campaign #Reconsider5genderbills , #affirmativeaction organnized by the Women Advocate Research and Documentation Center (WARDC) and her gender bill cluster including Womamifesto, National Coalition on Affirmative Action , Gender and Constitition Reform Network,SAGE and Gender Mobile with support from USAID and SCALE Palladium to get at least one million signatories to ensure passage of the Bills.
Kalu who was represented by his Special Adviser (SA) on Strategy Programme Development Karu Simon, tasked the gender bill cluster on awareness creation and sensitization on the bills in order to enlighten more Nigerians and garner citizens support for its passage.
Recall that in 2022, the 9th National Assembly threw out these bills, Womanifesto, a feminist non political, women focused group with over 500 organisations across Nigeria, led the protest against the National Assembly after the bills were rejected.
These 5 gender bills include: “Bill to provide special seats for women at national assembly”, “Affirmative action for women in political party administration- 35 per cent of executive positions”, “Bill to grant citizenship to foreign-born husbands of a Nigerian woman”, “A bill on indigenship- married women should have a choice on state of origin and have access” and “Bill seeking the inclusion of at least ten percent affirmative action in favour of women in Ministerial appointments”.
“Nigerians need to be enlightened more on the 5 gender Bills so they can understand that it benefits all and support its reconsideration at the national assembly. If there’s anything that should be done better is the aspect of dedicating not just the legislators but the people within the country to understand the value of the bills.
“Let there be that level of engagement with the citizens and down to the grassroot, let every women and young person speak about it because it has the generational value to the countr,” he said.
In her remarks , the Chief of Party, SCALE Palledium project, Lydia Odeh, noted that the five gender bills are not just pieces of legislation but are keystones towards a more inclusive and egalitarian society, maintaining that ‘the gender bill is everyone’s business’ not just for women alone.
“These five gender bills we advocate for today are not just pieces of legislation;they are keystones in the doorway towards a more inclusive and egalitarian society. They signify a commitment to dismantling barriers that have hindered women’s full participation in various facets of life.
“They represents vision where every individual,regardless of gender,has equal opportunity to contribute and benefit from the progress of our nation.
The Five Gender Bills are everyone’s business,regardless of your gender,” she stated.
On her part the FCT Commissioner for Women Affairs, Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, explained that the struggle for passage of the gender bills is not for only women but for everyone, assuring to take the 1 million signatures campaign for the passage of the bill across the six area councils in the FCT.
“My target is to drive the target for one million signatures on the passage of the five gender bills in the six area councils of the federal capital territory.
“So it’s an emergence and it’s right on the cause of 16 days activism against gender based violence so its a very auspicious appropriately positioned timeline not just for women but for anyone who is a patriot within the global affirmative space for creating and driving change and creating social economic bubbles and opportunities,” she said.
Similarly, the Former Country Director, ActionAid, Ene
Obi, maintained that the bill is not just about women but about humanity as it entails human rights and social justice, she therefore called on all Nigerians to support the reintroduction and reconsideration of the bills.
“We are hoping that 10th Assembly will do better as we plan to make another presentation of the bills,” she said.
In her welcome address the Founder/Executive Director of WARDC Dr.Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the hashtag launch aims at achieving 1 million signatures from citizens in support for the passage of the bill, sayingbwomen will not relent in its call to the National Assembly on the bills.
“We won’t surrender until the gender bills are passed. We cannot continue to live in a country where our needs are not recognised because Nigeria belongs to all of us men and women and his is why we are maintaining the tempo for the reintroduction of the bills,” she said.
