House of Reps rattled by women picks 2 of 5 gender-related bills dropped earlier

The House of Representatives is reconsidering three of the five gender-related bills both chambers initially dropped while passing 68 bills in the on-going constitution amendment.

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila called for the rescission of the votes on the affected bills after the lawmakers held an executive (closed-door) session on Tuesday.

The bills to be revisited are: Bill 36— “to expand the scope of citizenship by registration; Bill 3— to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration; Bill 38—“to provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria.”

Bills 35—to “provide for special seat for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly—and Bill 68— “to give women a quota in the federal and state executive councils or ministerial and commissionership seats.”—were dropped again.

Gbajabiamila noted that the three bills would be included in the second batch of amendment bills to be considered in about four weeks’ time.

Female members of the House as well as some male counterparts gave the Speaker a standing ovation after the announcement.

The NASS have been harassed with protests since they failed to pass the geder related ones among the bills amended.

First Lady Aisha Buhari and Second Lady Dolapo Osinbajo even lobbied as far as sitting in during the passage.

But nothing happened in favor of the bills.