By ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna
As part of events to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day, the Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), on Tuesday, mobilized Kaduna Market Women Association to protest the recent rejection of some bills that seeks to create a balance between the men and women in leadership positions in Nigeria.
WRAPPA, an NGO, which is currently implementing a two (2) year project on “Legal and Social Empowerment Program on Women’s Rights in Kaduna and Plateau States” supported by African Women Development Fund (AWDF), organized the protect rally to align with women across the country in demanding for a reverser of the National Assembly’s decision.
The rejected bills are: bill proposing an amendment to section 223 of the constitution to provide 35% affirmative action to ensure women occupy at least 35% in political party administration.
Bill seeking to amend section 26 of the 1999 constitution to provide for citizenship by registration for foreign spouses of Nigerian women. And bill seeking to amend the constitution to allow a woman to become an indigene of her husband’s state after at least five years of marriage.
President of the Kaduna Market Women Association, Hajiya Hadiza Abdullazeez, said the time has come for women to from the back seat to the front.
“We want women in positions of leadership, we are tired and we are no longer ready to be at the back seat. Now we say no, we are ready to go to any length. Time has come for men to come out and support us because we have been supporting them for a long period of time and now it is our time.
“Men should know the importance of women in the society, so today as market women, we shall continue to mobilise our members until our demands are met.” She said.
State Project Officer of the Legal and Social Empowerment Program on Women’s Rights, Barr. Bukola Ajao, who led the WRAPPA’s team noted now is the right time for women to start making decision for the country because they have they are more than the men in population.
According to the women are out in their numbers because they reject the National Assembly’s decision, adding “we are out today to celebrate ourselves and also to break the bias. We are saying break constitutional bias, we want to be leaders.
“We want to be up there, we want them to pass all the gender bills to law, we them to re-present all the bills they rejected. We say no to refusal, we want to be included in every policy of the country.”
The event according to the organizers, was sponsored by Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and African Women Development Fund (AWDF).
