◾Says women have done well in leadership
◾As SIDEC takes advocacy visit to Imo
By Eze Adiuku, Owerri
The Special Seats Bill advocacy for more reserved seats at the national and state legislative assemblies for women, has received a boost as the Anglican Bishop of Egbu Diocese in Imo State, Rt Revd Geoffrey Okoroafor, has pledged to add his voice to canvass support for its passage.
Bishop Okoroafor made this known during an advocacy visit by a team from Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC), a civil society organisation, to his office at Egbu, Owerri recently.
The advocacy is Project Impact being implemented by SIDEC in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with funding support from UK FCDO.
Project IMPACT, which is being implemented in Anambra and Imo states, aims to achieve inclusive electoral and governance systems where both male and female, youths and persons with disabilities are given equal opportunity to occupy elective public offices.
The Anglican Prelate decried the selfishness of male politicians in the country due to their misdeeds, adding that women have done well in leadership positions.
He said: “I align myself with your mission”, while berating women for also contributing to their marginalization in politics.
Earlier in her remarks, the leader of the team and Executive Director of SIDEC, Ugochi Agalaba -Ehiahuruike highlighted the yawning gap between men and women in political leadership.
According to her, there is no female out of the 27 members of Imo State House of Assembly, stressing that the House Committee on Gender has a man as Chairman.
SIDEC Executive Director revealed that there are only four women in the Senate, 16 in the House of Representatives, and 55 women in all the state Houses of Assembly across the country.
The proposed Bill, she said is for additional 37 Senate seats for women (1 per state + FCT), 37 House of Reps seats for women (1 per state + FCT) and 3 State House of Assembly seats for women per state (1 per senatorial district).
Continuing, she said the demand is for 108 reserved seats for women, saying that apart from the reserved seats, women are free to contest other offices with their male counterparts.
Agalaba -Ehiahuruike who said the rationale behind the clamour is to increase women’s representation in governance and promote gender equality and inclusivity, stated that it has been successfully implemented in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
