The House of Representatives has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UN Women to increase the number of women in governance.
This agreement aims to strengthen the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and the Bill on Women’s Parliamentary Seats.
On Thursday in Abuja, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Deputy Speaker Rep. Benjamin Kalu, emphasized the importance of this partnership.
He said, “The advocacy partnership will serve as a tool to lobby other stakeholders, especially the constituents, for women’s inclusivity.”
Kalu added that the advocacy should extend beyond parliament to rural areas so that constituents understand the benefits of increased women’s representation.
“Let them see the comparative analysis between our country and other countries, let them see what we are missing by not going this route all this while and let them see what we are going to gain if we go this route,” he said.
Kalu also highlighted the need to build the capacity of women and encourage them to support female aspirants.
He stated, “Women should be encouraged to bring their best in contributing to national development and not compete with men or be seen as antagonistic to men.”
UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, pointed out the underrepresentation of women in Nigerian governance.
She noted that only about 4 percent of women are elected to the National Assembly and only seven women serve in the 45-member federal cabinet. “Nigerians are looking up to the National Assembly to address the problem of women’s underrepresentation,” she said.
Eyong stressed that Nigeria needs to improve its record on women’s representation in governance. “This is the challenge we must all work together to surmount.
You have demonstrated leadership, dedication, and passion on this journey. UN Women is committed to walking this journey and building a strong and sustainable partnership with your office and with the membership of the National Assembly,” she added.
