The Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Kaduna State branch, has taken protest to the Kaduna State House of Assembly over the rejection of Gender Equality bill by the National Assembly, among other pertinent issues affecting Women in Nigeria.
The Women journalists who are commemorating the 2022 International Women’s Day(IWD), with the theme,”Attaining Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” started the protest at the Press center, marched to the state house of Assembly holding placards with various inscriptions as, ‘ ‘Progress for Women is progress for Society’, ‘We want All gender bills Represented and passed’, among others.
The Women had wanted the Members of the Assembly to represent and reconsider for speedy passage of the bill earlier rejected by it.
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Receiving the Women, Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Zailani, however, said there is little the State House Assembly could do regarding the Gender Equality bill before the NASS.
The speaker who was represented by the Majority leader of the Assembly, Hon. Ahmed Mohammed, alongside other members, assured that if after fruitful deliberations at the NASS over the bill, and passed down to the State Assembly, they will give full support to it.
According to him, “We are here to listen and also awaits comments from the NASS on the issue. while wishing the Nigerian women success in their endeavours, he hope one day the men will join them to celebrate”.
Also addressing the women, the only Female lawmaker at the State Assembly, Comfort Amwe, said,” if for any reason the gender bills are revisited at the NASS, a good number of members in the state assembly who are ‘he for she’”, would not hesitate but will all agree to endorse what their senior colleagues at the federal level might have done.
Earlier in her speech, the National President of NAWOJ, Ladi Bala, called on all Nigerian women to rise and demand from their representatives the fulfilment of the social contract of effective representation they signed.
The speech which was read by the Kaduna State chairperson, NAWOJ, Hajiya Fatima Aliyu said, no nation that excludes over 50 per cent of a segment of its demography can develop as expected, stressing the time to stop Gender discrimination and biases is now.
She, however, said the theme of this year’s celebration will remain an Illusion in Nigeria except a pragmatic approach towards attaining and balancing Gender-related issues in the country is adopted and respected by all.
