Head of the European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, has challenged the House of Representatives and its committee on constitution review to do everything within its power to ensure the bill seeking to create a special seat for women in the country comes to fruition.
Mignot made this appeal in Abuja during an engagement between the House Committee on Constitution Review and Women Members of State Houses of Assembly facilitated by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with support from the EU.
Regretting that Nigeria was lagging behind in terms of women representation, he noted that Nigeria was supposed to be leading and serving as a model and as an example for others in Africa and around the world.
His words: “When I arrived here in Nigeria last September, it really surprised me to see that Nigeria is really lagging behind.
“But look at countries like Rwanda or Kenya in Africa. Look at Mexico, which was a country I was posted in before, which has perfect equality in women and men representation in politics.
“And I believe that Nigeria’s vocation is not to lag behind. Nigeria’s vocation is to lead and serve as a model and as an example for others in Africa and around the world.”
According to the envoy, the bill seeking a special seat for women in governance is not a question of religion but a step towards putting Nigeria where it belongs in the leadership batch, citing examples of Muslim countries that are doing well in terms of equal representation.
“Look in Africa; look at Rwanda; look at Kenya, for instance, and even in Muslim countries, Morocco and Egypt, and even some Gulf countries. So it is not a question of religion. These countries also have done a lot to increase women’s participation. So the world has moved on, and the sad truth is that Nigeria has lagged behind. And Nigeria’s vocation is not to lag behind.”
Speaking, PLAC Executive Director Clement Nwankwo stressed the need for stakeholders to be worried
that less than 4 percent of Nigeria’s legislative houses are women, lamenting that men have taken 96% of the country’s collective patrimony.
According to Nwankwo, most legislators also compound the situation in the guise of cultural beliefs and religion, lamenting that Nigeria is loosing votes on global stage due to low representation of women.
“As we speak, there are only 14 women or 15 women in the House of Representatives; out of a total of 360 there are six. In fact, there are entire geopolitical zones that do not have a woman, perhaps one woman in the North East.
