Political Participation & Leadership
The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, has expressed the resolve of female federal lawmakers to back proposals for constitutional amendments to increase women political participation in the country.
The Lower House Majority Leader disclosured this while declaring open a meeting in Abuja facilitated by the International Republican Institute (IRI) for female political leaders cutting across the country’s major political parties aimed at discussing, strategising and adopting proposed constitutional amendments which will produce a memoranda that will be submitted to the Senate and House Committees.
“There are lots of areas in the constitution that needs to be amended when issues of women are concerned. Presently both chambers of the National Assembly are in the process of receiving memoranda from the public concerning issues or areas where they want amendments to take place in the constitution.” Akande-Adeola said in her address opening the strategy meeting.
The meeting held in Abuja was organised by IRI in collaboration with the Gender and Development Action (GADA) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Akande-Adeola said female lawmakers would back the proposals when it is presented before both legislative chambers.
“We know that these amendments as we want them will not be easy for us but we will definitely work together, so that we can at least, if not 100 per cent get about 75 per cent of the amendments that we are trying to put forward. It is our right as women and we will pursue it to the end with the support of organisations like IRI.
“But it is very important that Nigerian women first and foremost should believe in these issues then work towards achieving them.
“I can assure you that we female legislators will ensure that these amendments scale through. We will try our very best especially in the House of Representatives because that is where you have the majority of the people representing Nigerians. By implication all the women in our constituencies are supposed to be sympathetic to their cause.