Female Lawmakers Urge Nigeria, Others to Enact Gender Equality Laws

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) has challenged Nigeria and other West African states to enact legislations that would ensure gender parity.

The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Tunis made the call while declaring ECOFEPA’s townhall meeting open in Abuja yesterday.

At the meeting, Tunis said it is pertinent to create an atmosphere of gender equality in the countries of the sub-region for growth and harmony.

Tunis appreciated the demonstration of commitment and political will exhibited by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, who recently signed into law the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill 2022, guaranteeing the principles of inclusion, representation, participation, and a more responsive posture on gender.

The speaker said: “We are hopeful that similar action will be replicated in all our Member States.”

She also commended the very important steps being taken by ECOWAS member states to address gender issues.

At the meeting, he said: “My sincere anticipation is that the days that have been allocated to this event would no doubt open a vista of hope for democracy in our region.

“I am optimistic that the lessons learned at the end of this townhall meeting will transcend our region. With our ambitious and vibrant young population, we have good reasons to look up to the future.”

She noted that the substance of the meeting came under the theme, “Rejuvenate democracy by giving voice to the young people.”

She said the theme “is particularly timely. It is coming at a time when the gains we have made towards strengthening democracy in the sub-region are being eroded by the sudden and unfortunate resurgence of unconstitutional changes of Government in some member states.”

He disclosed that the meeting was strategically aligned with the current ECOWAS Vision 2050, which places more emphasis on women and youth development in the sub-region, and is aimed at addressing some of the issues that have contributed to gender inequalities in the region, despite the progress made by most countries regarding women’s participation in the economic and social sectors.

He said: “I am happy to note that the ECOWAS Parliament, through the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association has been a strong promoter of scaling up the number of female representations in politics and decision-making bodies in the subregion by emphasising the importance of shared values and common policies as a basis for peace and sustainable development.”

Meanwhile, Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ann Iyonu urged the West Africa region to prioritise women and youth representation in governance as a way of improving the sub-region.

Iyonu empathised that democracy cannot thrive and function well if it is not inclusive, stating that Women and Youth are major components of the society who should play critical roles in leadership and governance.

She said that the townhall meeting aimed at giving voice to women and youth is timely but expressed disappointment over the low percentage of women elected into the next Assembly of Nigeria.

She also pointed out that women and youth representatives, especially in the Parliaments of West Africa, are very low  compared to other regions in Africa where the gap has increasingly and progressively narrowed.

She narrated that in West Africa, only 15.7 percent of the average proportion of seats held by women in the national Parliaments which means the region is lagging behind other Parliaments in Africa like East Africa with 30.8 percent, Central Africa 21.7 percent, North Africa with 20.3 percent.