Female legislators in the 9th National Assembly under the aegis of Women in Parliament on Monday called on the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to enforce the National Gender Policy of Nigeria by allotting 35 per cent of appointments in the public sector to the womenfolk.
According to them, anything less than 35 per cent would not be accepted.
The WIP members who bared their minds during a joint press conference with Nigerian Women Trust Fund, said Tinubu should adhere to the rule of law and mainstream women in appointive offices.
The Chief Executive Officer of NWTF, Mufuliat Fijabi, observed that despite the country’s adoption of the National Gender Policy and other international instruments, women continue to be marginalized in politics and decision-making processes.
She, however, stressed that the incoming administration of President-elect Bola Tinubu has the opportunity to change this narrative and ensure greater inclusion of women in governance.
The agitation came amidst concerns about the poor representation of women in leadership positions in Nigeria.
The leader of WIP and chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Women in Parliament, Taiwo Oluga, representing Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan federal constituency of Osun State, highlighted the importance of gender mainstreaming in governance, stating that women constitute over 50 per cent of the population and their contributions to nation-building cannot be overemphasized.
She said that gender mainstreaming was not just about meeting the 35 per cent affirmative action in appointments, but also about ensuring that women are appointed based on merit.
Oluga said, “We have competent women who can occupy appointive offices across board and contribute to delivering the dividends of democracy to the people. It is therefore imperative that the incoming administration mainstreams women in appointive offices as prescribed in the National Gender Policy and other international instruments. We cannot accept anything less than 35 per cent.
A contestant for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Miriam Onuoha, and two aspirants for Deputy Speaker, Adewunmi Onanuga and Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, also spoke in the same direction.
They called for greater inclusion of women in leadership positions and urged the incoming administration to prioritize gender mainstreaming in all aspects of governance.
Onuoha emphasised the need for women to be given equal opportunities to participate in politics and governance.
“Women have the capacity to lead and we should be given the opportunity to do so. I am confident that if given the chance, we will deliver and make a positive impact on the lives of Nigerians”, she said.
Onanuga and Akande-Sadipe stressed that gender mainstreaming is not just a moral imperative, but also a legal obligation.
“The National Gender Policy and other international instruments have made it mandatory for governments to mainstream gender in all aspects of governance, including appointments. We expect the incoming administration to adhere to these principles across board,” they said.
Others who attended the event included the CEO of Women Radio, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya; Executive Director of NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotie; House of Representatives member-elect (Kosofe federal constituency of Lagos State), Kalifat Ogbara; and Aishatu Jibril Dukkie representing Dukku and Nafada federal constituency of Gombe State.
