The United Nations (UN) says women representation in the country has been on a steady decline.

According to the UN, Nigeria is at the bottom of Africa in terms of the representation of women in elective offices.

The Country Director UN Women in Nigeria Ms. Comfort Lamptey, said Nigeria globally sits within the 0.1 – 4.9 per cent range for women’s representation in government.

Lamptey spoke yesterday in Abuja at a breakfast meeting with media executives on
the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOB)

She said the bill provides an invaluable window of opportunity to implement legal frameworks to address gender inequalities and redress gender-based violence.

“In fact, women’s representation in Nigeria has been on a steady decline since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999. Nigeria globally sits within the 0.1 – 4.9 % range for women’s representation in government and it is at the bottom of the whole African continent in terms of representation of women into elective offices yet another State of Emergency.

“Passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill provides an invaluable window of opportunity to implement legal frameworks to address gender inequalities and prevent, protect and redress gender-based violence. This includes the disenfranchisement of women through inheritance laws and discriminatory practices within employment and education all of which are stipulated in the GEO Bill.

“The GEO Bill is a robust framework that prohibits discrimination based on gender and
proposes measures for women’s inclusion within society. Passage of the GEOB will ensure promotion of equal opportunities, full development and advancement of persons in
Nigeria particularly marginalized and vulnerable groups,” she said.

Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, John Donnelly said Gender equality and women empowerment is not just the right but smart thing to do.

He said: “Gender equality and women’s empowerment is not just the right thing to do,
it is the smart thing to do, the economic and development benefits are clear: protecting women and girls, investing in their rights, and providing opportunities for them to prosper benefits not only their communities, but the whole country

“With the COVID-19 pandemic having a disproportionate impact on women and girls globally, we have been presented an opportunity to recalibrate, collaborate, and build on past efforts to pass the GEOB.

“Increasingly, the far-reaching benefits of diversity and gender equality in
leadership and decision-making are being recognised. But it’s not just legislation and policies that effect change. The media is front and centre of any attempt to effect change in society. The way the media presents issues, and your awareness of issues, is vital for creating an informed public,” he added.

Senator Biodun Olujimi on her part said “let me just say something brief about the Bill. It is development-oriented and includes provisions which will promote equal access for women and men for instance across all sectors. The Bill also has key provisions such as the adoption of temporary special measures to eliminate discrimination of women and widen the space for women to occupy leadership positions in politics and public office.

“It also seeks to address several forms of discrimination against women such as land ownership, inheritance, education, employment, and sexual and gender-based violence. As already noted, the Bill has had a very long journey, and during this period, it has faced much resistance and criticism along the way. This may be put down to the lack of awareness and misunderstanding/ misinterpretation about its aims and goals amongst other reasons.

“The philosophy behind today’s breakfast meeting is to bring us together, for a heart-to-heart informative dialogue that will conclude on actionable commitments towards creating awareness, sensitisation, clarify misconceptions and mobilise wider public support to strengthen chances of passing the Bill into law. We would also like to hear your thoughts,” she stated.

(The Nation)

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