Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu has said that the parliament will vote on the special seats bill alongside other crucial constitutional amendment bills upon resumption of plenary in October, emphasizing the importance of continued advocacy for the Special Seats Bill.
He made the disclosure at a Roundtable Reception on the Reserved Seats For Women Bill, organized by The Osasu Show (TOS) with support from the Switzerland Embassy in Abuja.
Kalu who is the sponsor of the all-important piece of legislation for gender inclusion in governance space said that it is not born out of sentiments but current realities to deepen democracy in Nigeria.
He called on women groups to massively reach out to all the relevant stakeholders and influential people in the country.
He said: “As the sponsor of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, I want to make this abundantly clear: this bill is not born out of sentiment. It is born out of reason, out
of evidence, out of the stubborn facts of our current reality. It is rooted in the
belief that justice delayed is democracy denied.
“Nigeria is a nation of over 220 million people, and nearly half (49.3 percent) of
this population are women. And yet, the number of women who sit at the table of
power in this country is painfully low. In the current 10th National Assembly, only
19 out of 469 legislators are women (just 3.8 percent). In the House of Representatives, there are only 15 women out of 360. In the Senate, only 4 out of 109. Across all 36 states, we have not a single female governor. And in our
State Houses of Assembly (out of 991 seats) only 45 are occupied by women.
That’s a mere 4.5 percent.
“Keep the advocacy alive. Keep doing it, keep lobbying, there’s no time. We don’t have time. It’s our desire to vote on these constitutional review provisions once we are back from recess. That’s to show you there’s no time.
“The people you’re talking to must be people who have influence over those that will vote or the voters themselves. So tell your religious leaders, political big players, the wives of the parliamentarians and so on.
“The language of advocacy should change too. Appeal to them. Reach out to prominent women in this country. Let them come on board. Reach out to influencers, there’s no time. Barely 60 days remaining”.
Revealing that the bill aligns with the legislative agenda of the House and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Kalu also appealed to the political parties, the media and Nigerians in general to support the bill, adding that his office is always ready to give the needed technical insights.
