Two years after a Federal High Court ordered the federal government to ensure 35 percent of its appointive positions for women, both the National Assembly and the executive arm of government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have continued to delay the implementation, a gender advocate has said.
The legal campaign for affirmative action, led by the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) in April 2022, secured a historic judgment against the Federal Government. However,
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, one of the plaintiffs and national coordinator of 100 Women and chief executive officer of Change, Managers International Network, Felicia Onibon, said despite the seeming acceptance of the judgment by former President Muhammadu Buhari, the current administration is yet to implement the historic judgment. According to her, the judgment is in line with the gender policy which was approved by the president.
She said, “The policy itself and its implementation plan was approved by the president and the National Assembly and It was also presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC)”.
As the world celebrated International Women’s month in March under the theme of “Inspiring Inclusion”, Onibon called on the federal government to prove to Nigerians that it is serious about inclusion. “We are asking the National Assembly to pass some of the gender equality bills on its desk.”
She said, “Iif bills that promote women inclusion are passed and assented to, women will have the opportunity to play on a fair and level playing field.
“So, women will have the opportunity to contest effectively and also to represent themselves” she said, adding that, “we have almost 19 states that do not have any woman whatsoever in their state assembly.”
She called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to support the legal action on 35 percent affirmative action and urge the National Assembly to pass bills that promote women inclusion. .
“ He knows what we are talking about, he understands what we are talking about and he has had women in cabinets that he managed,” she said.
“So, let him encourage members of his party to create opportunities for women to come on board, so that we can have a better nation,” she concluded.