Ebonyi stakeholders advocate 40% of women in appointments, elective positions

Stakeholders in Ebonyi State have called on the state government to domesticate the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill once it is signed into law.

The call arose from an event, organised by the Women Aid Collective, WACOL, in collaboration with UN Women and funded by the Government of Canada, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Wednesday.

At the roundtable, participants from various political parties, civil society organisations, religious bodies, and government ministries endorsed the HeForShe Initiatives.

They called on the Ebonyi State government to ensure that 40 per cent of elective and appointive positions are allocated to women.

The Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, which proposes the creation of 111 special seats exclusively for women in the National Assembly, has successfully passed its second reading in the Senate, with 74 special seats approved at this stage.

The bill seeks to amend several sections of the 1999 Constitution to enhance gender representation and ensure equal opportunities for women in politics.

Upon passage, it will take effect in the 11th Assembly and be reviewed every 16 years.

The programme lead for WACOL, Mrs Nkechi Igwe, emphasised the importance of constitutional and legislative reforms at the state level to ensure the bill’s effectiveness.

She also highlighted the need for alliances with supportive men in political parties and government offices to secure increased women’s participation in politics by 2027.

“The state government must not only support the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill at the national level but also ensure its swift domestication within Ebonyi. We are advocating for 40 per cent of all elective and appointive positions in the state to be reserved for women,” Igwe asserted.

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Felicia Nwankpuma, lauded the bill as a crucial tool for fostering a fair and inclusive society.

She proposed several strategies to enhance women’s political involvement, including leadership training programmes, policy reforms to ensure gender balance and public campaigns to challenge societal stereotypes.

She also stressed the importance of building robust networks of women leaders to mentor and support aspiring female politicians.

Also, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ebonyi State chapter, Reverend Scamb Nwokolo, called on women to rally behind their peers in political endeavours, urging a shift in mindset to eliminate jealousy and envy among women, and encouraging mutual support in political pursuits.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Ben Odoh, expressed firm support for the bill and pledged that his ministry would provide the necessary legal backing and advocacy to ensure the bill’s passage and implementation.

The chairperson of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, Mrs Nwogbaga Mercy, shared a personal account of workplace discrimination, recalling how she was forced to resign from the State Security Service, SSS, due to pregnancy and called for the bill’s domestication in Ebonyi State to protect women from similar injustices.