Reps Speaker promises women friendly legislation

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerian women of his dedication and that of the eighth House to ensure that their needs were reflected in the ongoing constitution review process.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the Speaker, Mr Turaki Hassan, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Speaker said that the International Women’s Day was not just a day set aside globally to celebrate women, but to also reflect on the challenges they faced and implement workable solutions toward 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 a duty to our women to neither trivialise nor ignore their challenges,” he said.

He said that the eighth Assembly would work assiduously toward enacting legislation which would help 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.

"This is just one step toward 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, ”he said.

The Speaker, therefore, 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.