The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has expressed his belief that the call for women’s empowerment in society’s development will go beyond calls for their inclusion in politics.
Abbas, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, said that by 2027, the 1999 Constitution would have legalised some gender-based demands by women.
The speaker stated this on Wednesday when a delegation of the United Nations (UN) visited his office to commend him for leading the campaign for women’s empowerment.
This is just as the United Nations (UN) honoured Speaker Abbas for championing the cause of women by decorating him with an emblem in recognition of his efforts to include women in politics and governance.
The delegation included the Regional Director of the UN in West and Central Africa, Dr Maxime Houinato; the Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, UN Women, Beatrice Eyong; and the Deputy Country Representative, Nesreen Elmolla, among others.
“It is indeed a great day for me, a day that such a powerful delegation is coming on one mission: to say ‘thank you for supporting the women folk.’ I think this is historic,” the Speaker said, adding that he is “really pleased” and will not “take it for granted.”
Speaker Abbas, who described the 10th House as a women-friendly Assembly, noted that members of the House are “unconditionally supportive of all the aspirations of women, not only in Nigeria but also around the world.”
The Speaker also noted that the House under his leadership was already considering the fate of women in the country beyond the 2027 generation election.
“I believe that in the 11th Assembly, discussions about women will not centre on the issue of inclusion or participation in politics; it will go beyond that. It will go to the level where we should have a constitutional amendment where every elective position in the Executive (arm of the government) should be gender-friendly,” he said.
Speaker Abbas added that it would further deepen the inclusion of women in Nigeria. “It is my view that this will come true,” he stressed.
The Speaker disclosed that, based on the feelers he is getting from House and Senate members, the proposed gender-based amendments to the 1999 Constitutions would enjoy widespread support.
Earlier, Dr Houinato, who led the UN delegation on the appreciation visit, lauded Speaker Abbas for his gender-friendly leadership.
She said: “We are glad that the leadership of this House understands this fundamental fact. We are here today to acknowledge and congratulate the Speaker for your bastion of leadership in bringing the conversation around the participation of women in the development of this country to the core of political discussions – at the local, state and federal levels.
“We want to recognise your moral and political leadership in women and development in Nigeria.
My colleagues have charged me at the African level to recognise you today as, indeed, a ‘He Or She’ with the international sign (emblem) to recognise all the people who have invested in the promotion of women.”
