The House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 9, passed for second reading a constitutional amendment Bill seeking to provide reserve additional seats for women in the state and National Assembly.

The bill sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu was first passed by the 9^th House, but failed to get concurrence in both chambers to scale constitutional amendment as required by law.

Presenting the motion, one of the sponsors, Joshua Gana said the bill aim to addressing a profound imbalance in the nation’s legislative Houses inform form of the under representation of women in legislative houses at the national and sub-national levels.

According to him, the bill seeks to alter the Constitution specifically to provide for seat reservations for women in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.

He said: “It is anchored on the fundamental principle of equitable representation and aims to empower women by ensuring their voices are not only heard but that they actively contribute to shaping the legislative landscape and the overall development of our nation.

“The issue of gender equality and representation lies at the heart of our constitutional democracy. Despite the constitutional guarantee of equal rights, the representation of women in our Legislative Houses has been alarmingly low.

“In the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th Assemblies, women accounted for only 6.4%, 6.1%, and 2.7% of the Senate respectively; and 6.4%, 3.05%, and 4.7% of the House of Representatives respectively.

“These statistics underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to ensure equitable representation and amplify the voices of women in our legislative houses at the national and sub-national levels”.

He said the rationale behind the amendment is grounded in the principles of fairness and inclusivity, adding that hlobally, Nigeria lags behind in women’s representation in parliament, ranking among the lowest.

Countries that have implemented affirmative action, like Rwanda and Andorra, have seen significant strides towards gender equality in governance.

He said: “This bill proposes a temporary measure of seat reservation for women to catalyse similar progress in Nigeria, ensuring that women’s perspectives and priorities are fully integrated into our national and sub-national decision-making processes.

The bill proposes alterations Sections 48 and 49 to provide for one special seat reserved exclusively for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, effective after the term of the current National Assembly and subject to review every sixteen years.

It also seek an alteration of Section 91 to provide for three special seats reserved exclusively for women in Houses of Assembly of each State of the Federation which shall be spread across the three senatorial districts of each State; while seeking consequential amendments to sections 71, 77, and 117 to ultimately establish special constituencies reserved exclusively for women, ensuring their direct election into and participation in legislative houses and processes at both the federal and state levels.

While all those who spoke on the bill supported the second reading, some members warned against passing a law that will offend the letters and spirit of the constitution.

Minority leader said it was abnormal that Nigeria seats at the bottom of world ranking when it comes to women representation with about 3.9 percent of members of parliament being women. (The Nation)

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