Breaking Good News On International Women’s Day! This Is Sure To Make Your Day
Three gender equality bills that failed to be passed during last week’s constitution review at the National Assembly have been approved for reconsideration. The good news was shared on the International Women’s Day, 8th of March.
The bills are on indigenship, citizenship, and 35% affirmative action for women. The bills are,
-granting citizenship to a foreign-born husband of a Nigerian woman. (Nigerian constitution allows Nigerian men’s foreign-born wives to be granted citizenship),
-granting Nigerian women indigeneship of their husband’s state of origin after 5 years of marriage, and
-granting 35% affirmative action for women.
This is coming after some women stormed the national assembly to protest against National Assembly rejecting women-related bills.
The House of Representatives announced in a statement that the bills were re-committed to the Committee of the Whole for consideration on Tuesday on the direction of Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Lawmakers are expected to take a look at them when they vote on the next set of bills that can be changed in about four weeks.
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Gbajabiamila said;
“Last week, the house voted on the constitution amendment.
“There are issues arising therefrom and the house in its wisdom has decided to take a cause of action for the good of the country and that action is to rescind three of the decisions that were taken that day and after the rescission we will list them on the next set of amendment coming up.
“If we still at that point have a difference with the senate, we will go for harmonisation.
“Now harmonisation may not be the practice when it comes to constitution amendment because I have heard people argued here and there.
“But the constitution I believe under section 5 allows the house to regulate its own procedure and we will be relying on the provision of the constitution to harmonise the differences between us (house) and the senate and hopefully this will go through.”
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