Women’s Groups Storm NASS Gate in Protest of Failed Bills

Various women’s organizations occupied the National Assembly’s entrance on Wednesday to protest the rejection of women’s-related proposals in plenary.

All women-related bills were defeated in the upper parliamentary chamber on Tuesday, including one that sought to grant at least 10 positions to women as ministers and commissioners in the federal and state administrations.

In response, women gathered early Wednesday morning at the three-arm zone and marched to the National Assembly gate, chanting songs of solidarity against the MPs’ decision.

Despite guarantees from the house leadership on the proposals, the ladies expressed disappointment.

The organizations are urging federal parliamentarians to reconsider the requests for 111 seats for women, citizenship, 35 percent representation in party leadership, and more appointive roles in government, and to vote in favor of these reforms.

The UN Population Fund (UNPF), the Federation of Muslim Women Associations (FOMWA), the Women Organisation for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN), the Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA), Women In Business (WIMBIZ), Action Aid, Yiaga Africa, and the Islamic Youth League are among the organizations that have gathered for the protest.

Despite the fact that the National Assembly’s gate was closed, the women sat down and asked that their views be heard.

The demonstration comes less than 24 hours after a bill aimed at providing special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly, as well as other women-related laws, was defeated.

One of the proposals, named ‘Act to Alter the Provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999 to Provide for Special Seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for Related Matters,’ failed after the majority of MPs voted against it.

On Tuesday, MPs voted on 68 Constitution Amendment measures in plenary.

The bill for women’s special seats was defeated in the Senate by 58 votes out of 91, and in the House of Representatives by 208 votes out of 290.

Dolapo, Vice-President Osinbajo’s wife, attended the plenary on Tuesday in favor of the bill. She, on the other hand, was unhappy when all of the women’s bills in the constitutional amendment failed.

Mrs. Osinbajo told journalists as she walked out of the House chamber that she is hopeful that the fight for women’s equality would continue.