House of Reps marks International Women's Day by rescinding decision to reject three gender equality bills

NIGERIA'S House of Representatives has marked international women's day by rescinding an earlier decision to reject three gender equality bills which had earlier on in the week failed to pass as part of the ongoing amendments to the 1999 constitution.

While there are five original gender bills, those to be revisited are Bill 36 to expand the scope of citizenship by registration, Bill 37 to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration and Bill 38 to provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria. House of Representatives speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, called for a rescission of the votes on the affected bills after the lawmakers held an executive session this morning.

Following the reconsideration, those bills that remain jettisoned are Bill 35 to provide for special seat for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly and Bill 68 to give women a quota in the federal and state executive councils or ministerial and commissionership seats. Hon Gbajabiamila noted that the three accepted bills would be included in the second batch of amendment bills to be considered in about four weeks’ time.

After the lawmakers unanimously approved the reversal via voice vote, female members of the House as well as some male counterparts gave the speaker a standing ovation. Last week, lawmakers in the two chambers of the National Assembly had voted against the gender equality bills.

These gender bills failed to pass President Muhammadu Buhari's wife Aisha storming the Senate and House chambers in company with female ministers to lobby the lawmakers. Also, last Tuesday, Dolapo Osinbajo, the wife to the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, accompanied by the minister of women affairs, Pauline Tallen, to the National Assembly

Since last Tuesday, women from different groups have blocked the entrance to the National Assembly, demanding the lawmakers rescind the rejection of the five bills. Today, these women groups were planning a big protest at the entrance of the National Assembly to commemorate International Women’s Day.

Last week, Hon Ben Kalu, the spokesperson of the House, said the lawmakers should not be blamed for the rejection of the bills, adding that they were rejected based on the recommendations of their constituents. He added that the women, including First Lady Aisha Buhari and Second Lady  Dolapo Osinbajo, failed to commence the lobbying for the bills early enough.

According to Hon Kalu, the rejection of the bills, despite the lobbying by Mrs Buhari and Mrs Osinbajo, shows that the National Assembly is not a rubber stamp parliament to the executive. Across Nigeria, at the moment, about 15 states houses of assembly have no women members at all.