Political Briefs
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THE women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has expressed its disappointment and displeasure over the dismissal of the Nigerian Gender and Equal Opportunities bill by the Senate, on Tuesday March 15.
A statement signed by Kema Chikwe, former Aviation minister and the PDP national woman leader, on behalf of the women group, said the Senate action was regressive, which “ironically occurred at a critical time when the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, CSW, conference is currently holding in New York, US.”
The PDP women said that throwing out the Gender and Equal Opportunities bill would further encourage the ongoing cases of rape, domestic violence, maternal mortality, poverty, among others in the Nigerian society. Besides, they argued that the dismissal of that bill had essentially undermined the contributions Nigerian women were making towards the national development.
“That bill is not just about women. It is centred around the survival of the family system in Nigeria. If that bill were passed, the greatest beneficiaries would have been the menfolk, who are undoubtedly the heads of families. Nigerian women have partnered with them in building stable homes and the society at large. Nigerian women have proven capacity to lead and contribute to national development.
“Nigerian women are very conscious of positive Nigerian cultures and tradition, however, they propose to eliminate those factors that retard our socio economic development to comparable international standards. I watched the debate and I pay tribute to some of the male senators who made very positive contributions in support of the bill for which the female senators fought hard but lost the battle,” the statement said.
According to the statement, women constitute more than 50 percent of the population of the country but are unfortunate to be in the minority in both the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.
Therefore, it said, it was not a surprise that bill was thrown out. “That bill was about humanity and not about women,” the women argued.
In any case, Chikwe pleaded with the Senate to revisit the bill, “especially in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, especially as the Senate President has already promised to reconsider it.”
— Mar 28, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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