By Chidinma Obiakor
The House of Representatives Committee on Youths in Parliament has pledged to champion the advocacy on the Constitution Alteration Bill to provide Special Seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.
The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala (APC-Oyo) made the pledge while addressing newsmen on the sideline of stakeholders interactive session in Abuja.
The interactive session was organised by the Legislative Advocacy Committee on the Reserved Seat for Women bill, set up by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen with the mandate to mobilise lawmakers and stakeholders for the bill.
The bill seeks to create a total of 108 additional seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly to contested for by women across the country.
At the interactive session, the committee on youth in parliament was inaugurated to carry out campaigns in favour of the bill and to lobby other lawmakers to support the bill.
Alao-Akala said that 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 stone will be turned to ensure that we go into the bill and ensure that every layman can understand the clauses and also accept it.
“A lot of people that do not understand the bill, they 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 assist 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 of inclusiveness in governance,” he said.
Earlier, the stakeholders led by the Executive Director of Ene Obi Centre for Development, Mrs Ene Obi commended the support of the House of Representatives for the bill.
She said that the stakeholders are excited at the decision of the committee to champion campaign for the bill having benefitted 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 to also 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 Senate President who said the 10th assembly will not throw women’s bill out now.
“This bill has a full support of the Speaker of the House of Representative, 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.
Earlier, the Special Assistant to the Speaker on Women Affairs, Ms Yeside Olasimbo said that the endorsement and resolution to champion 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 of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, said the time is ripe for Nigeria to take a bold step toward gender inclusion by passing the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking special reserved seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Ogbara said that while the historical trajectory of women’s representation in politics has been discouraging, there is now strong political will across the executive and legislative arms of government to make a change.
She said the proposed legislation, which seeks to create 108 additional elective seats exclusively for women, represents a crucial step toward national development, inclusiveness, and strengthening Nigeria’s democratic image globally.
“The historical trajectory has been a tragedy, but we are very positive and optimistic because the time we have is now,” Ogbara said. “For a bill like this to pass, what we need most is political will—and we have that. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a gender-sensitive leader. He is the only president who has allowed his wife to contest the Senate seat three times, and today, she is a senator herself. The Vice President is a lawmaker, and so is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. These are people who understand the value of what this bill represents.”
The lawmaker said the bill is not just about gender parity but about enhancing Nigeria’s democratic credibility and ensuring that the nation speaks with a balanced voice in global affairs.
“This bill speaks to national development, inclusion, and our image at the international level,” she said. “Many times, when we travel abroad for parliamentary engagements, we lose our right to vote on certain issues because we do not have the right quota of women in our delegations. The gender lens does not travel with us.”
Ogbara commended Speaker Abbas Tajudeen for his commitment to ensuring that the bill gets the necessary legislative attention, describing his leadership as progressive and inclusive. She also thanked members of the Legislative Advocacy Committee and other stakeholders for their persistence and sacrifice in pushing for women’s representation in governance.
“There is no better time than now,” she added. “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.”
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