The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon, Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerian women of his dedication and that of the Eighth House to ensuring that their needs are reflected in the ongoing constitution review process.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker said that the International Women’s Day is not just a day set aside globally to celebrate women, but to also reflect on the challenges they face, and implement workable solutions towards solving them.
“Women make up over half of Nigeria’s population, and their contribution to sustaining democracy has been very meaningful. According to the nation’s electoral umpire, INEC, women vote in larger numbers than their male counterparts and we therefore owe it as a duty to our women to neither trivialize nor ignore their challenges,” he said.
The Speaker further said that issues such as poverty and lack of education, which affect women more, are also of deep concern to the House, and that the Eighth Assembly would work assiduously towards enacting legislation which would aid in correcting the situation.
“The representation of women in government leaves a lot to be desired, but on our part, the women in the House hold key positions in their respective committees and this is just one step towards demonstrating that indeed, the Eighth House does not subscribe to gender bias and acknowledges the strength in not just the women who are Members, but in Nigerian women as a whole.”
The Speaker then called on political parties to enact policies which would enhance the participation of women in politics, so that equitable representation may be achieved in the next election cycle.
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