First Lady, Kalu support women’s parliament seats

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has thrown her weight behind the seat reservation bill for women in the parliament.

At the Art for Governance Exhibition organized by the Office of the Deputy Speaker in conjunction with ElectHER, an advocacy group for women empowerment in Abuja, Senator Tinubu urged the members of the National Assembly to expeditiously pass the bill into law.

Represented by the Wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hajiya Fatima Tajudeen Abbas, the First Lady, emphasized the importance of women’s leadership in shaping the country’s future. She explained that the affirmative action bill was essential to enhancing women representation in all levels of governance.

In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu decried the underrepresentation of women in governance. The deputy speaker, who is the sponsor of the bill, pointed out that the bill is not just about numbers or political arithmetic but about justice and equal representation of women in governance processes.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ElectHER and Lead Curator, Art For Governance Exhibition, Ibijoke Faborode, highlighted the importance of gender-inclusive governance in fostering stronger democratic institutions, improved policy outcomes, and broader socio-economic growth.

The Minister of Women Affairs and other notable personalities who spoke at the Exhibition expressed their commitment to ensuring the passage of the Special Seats Bill, which aims to increase women’s representation in governance.

Reporting by Tanimu Salihu; Editing by Jennifer Ogor and Adeniyi Bakare