Feminist group condemn lawmakers over rejected pro-women bills

The Nigerian Feminist Forum, NFF, has condemned the voting out of women-related bills by the 9th National Assembly.

A bill seeking to give at least ten slots to women as ministers and commissioners in the federal and state governments had failed at the upper legislative chamber during a plenary session on Tuesday.

In a statement titled, ‘9th National Assembly: Shame of our Nation’ on Wednesday, the women group condemned the lawmakers who voted against the pro-women bills last Tuesday, describing their action as “selfishness, bigotry, ignorance, and self-centeredness!”.

Signed by the NFF Communications Officer, Angela Nkwo, the statement read, “The Nigerian Feminist Forum condemns in its entirety every lawmaker that voted against the pro-women bills last Tuesday and considers them the shame of our nation.

“The NFF, a biennial public policy forum that brings together self-identifying feminists, who through feminist principles challenge the system of power, promote the learning and teaching of feminist principles and universality of women’s rights, the Nigerian Feminist Forum is outraged that while the rest of the world is progressively advancing the cause of inclusion and gender balance in government, Nigerian lawmakers who are supposed to protect our collective rights are nothing but ethnic and religious bigots.

“It is appalling that on the first day of International Women’s Month, the National Assembly composed of about 96 percent males voted against female inclusion in political spaces, an act that is nothing short of selfishness, bigotry, ignorance, and self-centeredness!

“We make bold to say that every lawmaker who voted against women has failed to reflect the family values inculcated into them and is a poor representation of the huge sacrifices their mothers made to raise them, there is nothing distinguished about their show of shame.

“Nigerian women across the world are aggrieved that after repeated promises of inclusion and several resolutions adopted by the Nigerian government on gender-related matters, the 9th National Assembly voted against specific seats for women, 35 percent appointive positions for women, 35 percent affirmative action in party administration and leadership, indigene-ship rights after five years of marriage for non-Nigerian born women, and several others.”

Giving a four-point demand, the group said, “Our demands for urgent and proactive steps to address this open gender-based violence are;

“The National Assembly should immediately reconsider all gender bills and approve them as presently constituted;

“We declare total support for protests alongside other sisters to occupy all legislative quarters across the nation;

“Total elimination of all forms of bias against women in the constitution, and

“We call on all Nigerian women and people of good conscience to ensure that the lawmakers who voted against the bills as presently constituted are not returned to the National Assembly.”