The President-elect, Bola Tinubu has been asked to enforce the National Gender Policy of Nigeria by allotting 35% of appointments in the public sector to the womenfolk.
This is as female legislators in the 9th National Assembly, under the aegis of Women in Parliament, on Monday said anything apart from 35% female representation in Tinubu’s administration won’t be acceptable.
It was gathered that the legislators made their submission during a joint press conference with Nigerian Women Trust Fund.
They said Tinubu should adhere to the rule of law and appoint women into the mainstream in appointive offices.
The leader of WIP and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Women in Parliament, Taiwo Oluga, representing the Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan federal constituency of Osun State, explained the role women in governance can not be over-emphasised because their part in nation-building can not be relegated.
Oluga said, “We have competent women who can occupy appointive offices across the board and contribute to delivering the dividends of democracy to the people. It is, therefore, imperative that the incoming administration mainstreams women in appointive offices as prescribed in the National Gender Policy and other international instruments. We cannot accept anything less than 35 per cent.”
On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of NWTF, Mufuliat Fijabi, observed that despite the country’s adoption of the National Gender Policy and other international instruments, women continue to be marginalised in politics and decision-making processes.
Fijabi, however, called on Tinubu to take the opportunity to change this narrative and ensure greater inclusion of women in governance.
