Obaseki Slams National Assembly Over Rejected Gender Bills

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has knocked members of the National Assembly who voted against the gender bills during the constitutional review process.

Naija News reports that the National Assembly on Tuesday rejected four bills promoting the interest of women during the constitutional amendment process.

The rejected bills are special seats for women in the legislature, reserve quota for women on appointments, citizenship and 35 percent party leadership.

In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Obaseki said the rejection of the gender bills by the federal lawmakers is most regrettable and unsettling.

The governor pointed out that the legislature missed a golden opportunity to redesign Nigeria’s political landscape by rejecting the bills that promote women’s inclusion.

Obaseki asserted that the rejection of the gender bills is painful and unconscionable, urging Nigerian women not to give up on their quest to demand their rights.

He said: “The recent developments at the national assembly, in which five bills seeking affirmative action and inclusion for women were vehemently shut down by members, is most regrettably and unsettling.

“This is because the legislature is the bastion of democracy and a critical platform for fair representation and inclusion in government.

“It is therefore painful and unconscionable that these bills which provide a fillip for accommodating women who make up about 50 percent of the voting population are subjected to such a sorry fate.

“It is heartbreaking that the national assembly members missed a golden opportunity to redesign Nigeria’s political landscape by enshrining landmark legislation that promotes inclusion and provides women with the legal backing to gain equitable representation at the apex level of lawmaking and political participation.”