The Chairman, House Committee on Women in Parliament, Hon. Oluga Taiwo has called on the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to adhere to the rule of law, and mainstream women in appointive offices as prescribed in the National Gender Policy.
Penpushing reports that Taiwo made the call at a press conference on the 9th Assembly Women in Parliament , held at the Transcorp Hillton, Abuja with the theme, “35 Percent Affirmative Judgement: Female Legislators Demand Appointment Of More Women’.
The lawmaker emphasized that more than ever before, the women fold is expecting a deliberate display of executive bill of the administration in mainstreaming women in public governance as President-Elect whose wife has been a Senator of the country takes the mantle of leadership from May 29th.
‘As we move closer to the transition to a new administration and commencement of the 10th National Assembly, Nigerians and indeed the world is expectant of the positive impact the administration of President Elect, Ahmed Tinubu will bring to Nigeria’, she said.
‘Rule of Law entails equality before the law and supremacy of the Constitution. That is, equality of all persons regardless of gender and the supremacy of the laws of the land’, the female lawmaker emphasised.
‘The National Gender Policy 2006, The Nigerian Constitution (Sections 42,147,14(3)), the Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for action prohibits all obstacles to women active participation in all spheres of public and private life and targets full equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision making’.
‘This implies equality between women and men as a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice and is also necessary and fundamental prerequisite for equality development and peace’, Taiwo stated.
‘Increased participation in Public Governance, Nigeria continues to score low in number of women percentage in governance. The national average of women participation in politics has never exceeded 6.7% of both elective and appointive positions in the country’.
‘This is far below the global average of 22.3%, the West African Regional Average of 15% and the African Regional Average of 23.4% in the past twenty (20) years of uninterrupted democratic rule in Nigeria. Despite the fact that women account for 51% of Nigeria’s voling population, inclusion of women in politics has never exceeded 7% and it is currently 6.7%.
‘In the 10th National Assembly, based on current election results, men will occupy 96.5% whilst women will occupy 3.4% of the seats. In the current Federal Executive. We have seven (7) Female Ministers out of the forty four(44) Ministers appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari. The number of women participation in governance in Nigeria is still extremely low, despite the avalanche of Policy and Legislative Instruments executed by Government’.
‘This has led the Incorporated Trustees of Women Empowerment & Legal Aid Initiative and Eight (8) other Women Bodies to drag the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation to the Federal High Court in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2020, where the Federal High Court on the 6th April 2022 to compel the Federal Government of Nigeria to live up to his responsibilities on women participation in Politics and Governance’.
‘The suit was successful and it was held that the issue of 35% women participation in appointment into Federal Government offices has become a responsibility of the Federal Government backed by Law and Policy and that the President and the Federal Government is bound to adhere to the 35% affirmative action’.
‘Consequently, the Women Fold Globally and indeed the International Community is observing with keen interest whether the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will pass its first litmus test of adherence and observance of the Rule of law in its appointment of cabinet members. Whether it will obey the judgment of the Federal High Court on women participation in governance, by ensuring increased (35%) appointments are given to women”, she said
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