Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, said that the 10th National Assembly (NASS) is committed to promoting gender equity.
He made the remarks on Wednesday at the International Conference on Women in Governance, which was hosted by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.
The Senate President cited gender prejudices and biases, as well as a lack of modeling, as some of the causes limiting women’s participation in governance. He went on to say that he wanted to see more women in government, but that it was simpler to promote more women to appointive roles than to elective positions.
He made the remarks on Wednesday at the International Conference on Women in Governance hosted by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.
The Senate President cited gender prejudices and biases, as well as a lack of modeling, as some of the issues contributing to women’s poor participation in governance.
He also claimed that he wanted to see more women in government, but that it was simpler to promote more women in appointive roles than in elective positions.
Akpabio stated that women should participate more in gender equity campaigns and entrusted the Director General of NILDS and other key players with developing women-friendly policies to drive gender equity in governance.
During the conference in Abuja, the NILDS DG, Abubakar Sulaiman, stated that women’s representation in governance had not topped 10% since 1999, and expressed dissatisfaction with the dropping trend.
He also expressed concern about the number of women in the national legislature, claiming that only 3% are in the Senate and 4% are in the House of Representatives.
Sulaiman, on the other hand, is committed to developing Nigeria’s democratic culture and implementing gender-sensitive laws.
In her speech, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, challenged the National Assembly leadership with setting the tone for gender equality legislation.
She requested that the affirmative action and gender quota proposals that were defeated in the Ninth National Assembly be reconsidered and considered for passage.
Among those present were Deputy Senate President Barau Jubrin, the wife of former Ekiti State Governor Bisi Fayemi, and female lawmakers from Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa, among others.
