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Women’s Empowerment Bill Passes Second Reading Amidst Male Support- Courtesy Of Fatima Talba
A bill aimed at creating additional seats for women in parliament has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Fatima Talba, seeks to amend the constitution to reserve special seats for women in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Talba, representing Nangera/Potiskum Constituency, threw her support behind the bill and canvassed understanding from her male counterparts. She appealed to them not to “kill the bill” as it is crucial for the future of women in the country. The bill, she emphasized, is not intended to take away their seats but rather to complement their efforts.
Talba noted that women constitute over 65% of the country’s population and are a significant voting bloc. She posited that one day, the male lawmakers will leave their seats for someone else, and their female children may fall victims if the bill is not passed. She appealed to the male lawmakers to allow the bill to see the light of day.
Following her appeal, the bill was put to a voice vote and passed, despite some opposition. It has been referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by Mr. Kalu.
This development is a significant step forward for women’s empowerment in Nigeria. A similar bill was introduced in the last Assembly but was rejected. The rejection had sparked protests from women’s groups, who barricaded the entrance of the National Assembly. The then leadership of the House had promised to revisit the bill but failed to do so till the end of the session.
The passage of this bill is one of the items on the legislative agenda of this current Assembly. According to the document, the bill was to be introduced before the end of 2023. The lawmakers are already behind schedule. The bill proposes to amend sections 48 and 49 of the constitution to provide one special seat reserved exclusively for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state of the federation and the FCT.