Young Lawmakers Back Women’s Reserved Seats Bill

The House of Representatives Committee on Youth in Parliament has expressed support for the Constitution Alteration Bill, seeking to provide special seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.

The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala (APC, Oyo), gave this indication while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the stakeholders’ interactive session in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Legislative Advocacy Committee organised the interactive session on the Reserved Seat for Women bill, established by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, with the mandate to mobilise lawmakers and stakeholders in support of the bill.

The bill seeks to create a total of 108 additional seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly to be contested by women across the country.

The session featured the inauguration of the committee on youth in parliament, which will carry out campaigns in favour of the bill and lobby other lawmakers to support it.

Alao-Akala said the committee endorses the bill and will do everything within its powers to ensure the bill is passed.

“So I am happy that the goal was given to me. I am going to take it head-on; I am going to ensure that every detail is examined to ensure that we go into the bill and that every layman can understand the clauses and also accept them.

“A lot of people who do not understand the bill feel the bill is going to affect the current position of the legislature, but it is not going to affect it.

“So those are the kind of sensitisation we will do for the people to understand this bill; it is a bill that will assist us in governance, assist us in development, and help us in moving the country forward, locally and also in the international community.

“We are a country that supports women, not a country that discriminates; we are a country that understands the need for inclusiveness in governance,” he said.

Earlier, stakeholders, led by the Executive Director of the Ene Obi Centre for Development, Comrade Ene Obi, lauded the House’s support for the bill.

She said that the stakeholders are excited about the committee’s decision to champion a campaign for the bill, having benefited from the Not-too-young-to-run Act.

“So we are doing the same thing now to get the special seats bill passed; it is for our children also to contest and come into the parliament.

“What we have right now is a male Parliament across board, and so we are, we are really excited that they have endorsed it, we are excited also by the promise by the Senate President who said the 10th assembly will not throw the women’s bill out now.

“This bill has the full support of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and we are indeed very grateful, and we are calling on everyone to be part of this history, because history is about being made, and we will appreciate all of the people to come on board,” she said.

On her part, the Special Assistant to the Speaker on Women Affairs, Yeside Olasimbo, said the endorsement and resolution to champion the campaign for the bill was the right step in the right direction.

“They have endorsed the bill today, and I think it is the right step; they are taking this head-on and saying that they are going to join us in the advocacy to lobby members and also assist us by reducing the stress of having to meet all 360 members at once.

“I am super excited and elated that they open their hands to us; this is a beautiful moment for Nigerian women,” she said.

Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, stated that the time is ripe for Nigeria to take a bold step towards gender inclusion by passing a bill that seeks to reserve special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.

“There is no better time than now. I appreciate everyone who has made the effort to be part of this process. We are optimistic that many of our members will support this bill, but we must continue to mobilise even more support to ensure its success,” she stated.