Female Lawmakers Tasked On Special Seats Bill

Female legislators have been tasked with starting advocacy campaigns to lobby their representatives and male lawmakers at the national and state assemblies to pass the Special Seats Bill.

The call was made by the deputy speaker, House of Representatives and chairman, Constitution Review Committee, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, at a dinner organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the European and the Nigerian House of Representatives for women legislators in Abuja, to raise momentum for the bill ahead of its public hearing by the committee.

Addressing the women legislators from across the six geopolitical zones, and heads of national women agencies at the event, Kalu said, “The bulk of the work lies with you, women. This advocacy is both internal and external. Your first port of call is to identify who your representatives, your senators. Visit them and educate them on the Special Seats Bill, as I did with you today.

“Each woman should target each senator. Give them all the love they need. Give them what they need to buy into this. You can host all the senators of your state to a dinner, or buy them a bag of rice each or heaps of tomatoes. Show them that respect. By the time this gathrs momentum across states, members of parliament will be aware of it, and understand it. But if there’s too much ignorance of the bill, they will feel threatened that you want to take their seats. We are naturally patrimonial and don’t feel women should compete in positions with us (males).

“Tell them we are not taking their seats, rather you are only asking for their support to have your own seats.”

Emphasizing the negative impacts of low representation of women at governance and decision-making levels of the nation, PLAC executive director, Mr Clement Nwankwo, said Nigeria’s imbalanced democracy has led to 50 percent of the nation’s population (women) having solely 4 percent representation in governance.

The bill, he said will be “the most significant amendment in the Nigerian constitution since independence.

“It is not a question of who is doing what, rather about all of us doing something, that at the end of the day, we will all share in the credit that comes with the collective effort we have made.”

Similarly, Nigeria has been relegated in global politics and development by the inadequate participation of women in governance and policy.

“The bill is not only about putting Nigeria in her right standing, nor is it solely about women’s rights, rather it is for the benefit and progress of all Nigerians.

“This is about having a better governance in the country for all. It is very important to explain to government and the public that (the bill) is not a favour to one set of people but something that will benefit the whole of society. It is important to convince the men, your husbands and brothers on the bill,” said head of European Union (EU) to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot.

On behalf of the 48 Nigerian female lawmakers, including the five deputy speakers, Chair, Female Assembly Members, Kafilat Adetola, said the group’s approach to the promotion of the bill will be practical, borrowing from Ekiti State’s example – which holds both the highest number of female lawmakers in state assemblies and the highest number of women in governance.

The Bill proposes the creation of one Special Seat for Women per Senatorial District, and one per federal constituency, to be contested by women in general elections. It does not reserve any of the existing seats or constituencies for women. The new seats would exist alongside the current constituency seats, and will be in place for a limited number of four election cycles (16 years), after which it would be reviewed.