Re: Gender bills rejected, independent candidacy greenlit… -By Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies

– How National assembly voted on constitution amendments

– Nigerian senators reject gender equality bill

It was reported on 17 December, 2021 by Africanews, that “For the third time in five years Nigerian senators have rejected a bill that sought to promote gender equality in the country, while this serves as the fourth time. “The proposed package was rejected after some lawmakers in the upper chamber, mostly northern Muslims, cited social, cultural and religious concerns.

The bill focused on making discrimination on the basis of gender or marital status a crime. Another aim was to reinforce existing laws against gender-based violence. Many of the senators who opposed the legislation during a plenary session on Wednesday said their resistance was strictly a religious issue. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and is deeply divided along religious and ethnic lines. Just only about 7% of the nation’s senators are women.

Again, in a recent report in TheCable by Dyepkazah Shibayan on MARCH 2, 2022, “Gender bills were rejected, while independent candidacy greenlit.” Behold how National assembly voted on constitution amendments! The senate and house of representatives, on Tuesday, voted on a total of 68 bills seeking to amend the 1999 constitution. The voting on the bills were done simultaneously in both chambers. The red and green chambers agreed on some of the bills and differed on others.

For example, while the senate voted against a bill to provide for an office of a mayor in the federal capital territory (FCT), the house of representatives approved the proposed legislation. The fact is that Bills that pass in only one chamber will not make the list of those that will be sent to the state houses of assembly to be voted on. Two-thirds of the state assemblies will have to pass the bills before it is now sent to the president for assent. Here is how both chambers of the national assembly voted .It was confirmed that a total of 43 bills made the cut.

A TOTAL BREAKDOWN OF THE SIXTY EIGHT (68) BILLS
Bill Senate House of representatives
1. Financial autonomy for LGAs Yes Yes
2. Administrative autonomy for LGAs Yes Yes
3. Bill to change names of Afikpo north and south LGAs of Bayelsa state Yes Yes
4. Bill to change name of Kunchi LGA of Kano state Yes Yes
5. Bill to change name of Egbado LGA of Ogun state Yes Yes
6. Bill to change name of Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau state No No
7. Bill to correct name of Atigbo LGA of Oyo state Yes Yes
8. Bill to correct Obia/Akpor LGA of Rivers state Yes Yes
9. Financial autonomy for state legislature and judiciary Yes Yes
10. Bill to make persons comply with legislative summons Yes Yes
11. Bill to regulate inauguration of national assembly members-elect Yes Yes
12. Bill for constitution to recognise National Assembly Civil Service Commission Yes No
13. Bill to guide procedure for national assembly to pass a constitutional bill where president refuses assent No No
14. Bill to provide procedure for overriding the president’s veto in respect of money bills No Yes
15. Bill to provide procedure to remove presiding officers of national assembly No No
16. Pension for presiding officers of the national assembly No No
17. Bill to establish federal and state revenue court No Yes
18. Judicial reforms No Yes
19. Timeline for civil and criminal cases No Yes
20. Uniformity of retirement age for judicial officers Yes Yes
21. Delete reference to provisions of criminal code, penal code, etc Yes Yes
22. Time for determining pre-election matters, appeals, etc Yes Yes
23. Provision for virtual court hearing No Yes
24. Expand the interpretation of judicial office to include courts or tribunals Yes Yes
25. Provision of “post call qualification” of secretary of the National Judicial Council (NJC) Yes Yes
26. Provision to permit public servants to engage in healthcare, education, production and service beyond farming Yes Yes
27. Fair hearing for the removal of judicial officers Yes Yes
28. Provision to include judges of National Industrial Court in election tribunals No Yes
29. Provision to move airports from exclusive to concurrent list Yes Yes
30. To move biometrics and criminal records from exclusive to concurrent list Yes Yes
31. Delete prisons from exclusive list and redesignate it as correctional services in concurrent list Yes Yes
32. Move railway from exclusive to concurrent list Yes Yes
33. Allow states generate and transmit power in areas covered by national grid Yes Yes
34. Bill to add VAT to exclusive list No No
35. Bill to provide special seats for women at national assembly No No
36. Bill to expand scope of citizenship by registration Yes No
37. Affirmative action for women in political party administration No No
38. Provision for criteria to be indigene of a state in Nigeria Yes No
39. Bill to empower RMAFC to enforce remittance of accruals and disbursement from the federation account Yes Yes
40. Bill to enhance the independence of certain bodies Yes Yes
41. Bill to remove “transitional lawmaking powers” from executive Yes Yes
42. Immunity to legislative and judiciary arms of government No No
43. Timeline for executive to present treaty to national assembly for domestication Yes Yes
44. Timeline for the presentation of budget by president or governor Yes Yes
45. Bill to compel president or governor to submit names of ministers or commissioners within 30 days of taking oath of office Yes Yes
46. Provision to include presiding officers of national assembly as members of security council Yes Yes
47. Provision for the establishment of state security council Yes Yes
48. Provision to empower national assembly or state assemblies to summon president or governor on issues they have power to make law Yes Yes
49. Limit the period a president or governor can withdraw funds in absence of budgets from six to three months Yes Yes
50. To replace Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the federation with CRF of FG Yes Yes
51. Bill to establish the office of the accountant-general of the federal government separate from the office of the accountant-general of the federation Yes Yes
52. Specify time to conduct a population census Yes Yes
53. Bill to detach office of attorney-general of the federation from minister of justice Yes Yes
54. Provision for state of the nation address by president Yes Yes
55. Provision to include former heads of the national assembly in council of state Yes Yes
56. Termination of tenure of elected officials who defect to other political parties No No
57. Provision to enhance existing provisions for formation of political parties Yes Yes
58. Provision for independent candidacy Yes Yes
59. Diaspora voting No No
60. Office of mayor of Abuja No Yes
61. Appointment of indigenous FCT minister No Yes
62. Correct error in dilenation of FCT boundary Yes Yes
63. Free, compulsory basic education Yes Yes
64. Define acts that constitute torture No No
65. Rights to food and food security Yes Yes
66. Define core functions of NSCDC Yes No
67. Traditional rulers council to advise president, governor No Yes
68. Reserve quota for women No Yes.

Overall, it is important to note that, the brazen legalization of gender inequality in Nigeria and that the male lawmakers who voted against gender Bills don’t have respect for women. Thus in BREAKING News of MAR 02, 2022 BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK: “Nigerian Women Protest At National Assembly Complex Over Rejection Of Gender Bill” as their bill failed after both chambers of the national assembly voted on it on Tuesday.

“Some Nigerian women on Wednesday protested at the National Assembly, calling for a reconsideration of the gender bills rejected by the lawmakers. The protesters condemned lawmakers for voting against proposed gender bills on Tuesday, saying the action will deny women the opportunity of inclusion and representation in governance.”

The National Assembly had rejected a constitutional bill seeking to create special seats for women in the federal legislative arm of government. The Bill failed after both chambers of the national assembly voted on it on Tuesday. It is entitled “Bill For an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for related matters.” While the house voted 81-208 to throw the Bill out, the senate had a 30-58 vote.

The Bill failed to get the lawmakers’ nod despite enjoying the backing of Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, and Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. The First Lady had last week attended plenary alongside Pauline Tallen, minister of women affairs, when the report on the legislation was considered. Dolapo Osinbajo was also present as the senate began voting on constitution amendments.

However, Adesanya-Davies concludes that, “the fact that the Independent Candidacy Bill was passed should be a consolation to women. If we capitalise on this Bill to get more women into the national assembly in 2023, they women representatives will pass every other gender related Bills in that dispensation. We should challenge ourselves to get more women into national assembly, and we can do it!”

She, Adesanya-Davies, a frontline presidential aspirant the only Amazon in the 2023 race on the platform of the PDP. As I always say, “We, women need to try our best in 2023 at all levels. From now onwards, every woman should endeavour to speak to at least fifty women to vote for a ‘woman President,’ in Nigeria. Tell five women daily from now till 2023 elections. Remember, Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Your happiness starts from you and not from someone else.’ So should all the Nigerian youth and all the ‘he for she’ and all the men campaign and vote for the first female president in Nigeria in 2023. This could and would be the only functional approach.

Adesanya-Davies is the current Country President and International Director of United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) International Peace Advocates. She said that, “When intelligent, dedicated and women of excellence are empowered and put in top political positions, corruption, lack of development and all forms of vices and violence in their entirety can completely be exhumed from Nigeria.”

We would recall that towards 2019 elections, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had endorsed my Presidential candidacy on the 8th day of June, in Port Harcourt and at the same event, I was awarshed with an Award of Excellence in Service and Outstanding leadership; with the inscription on the plaque “In recognition of her consistency, steadfastness, developmental strides, motherly disposition and mentorship towards the students community and society at large.” I once again say thank you to the Youths and Students community as I continue to enjoy their unalloyed and massive support. At the same event. she was endorsed for the Presidency by the Niger Students Union Government, National (NSUG) I also serve as their matron.

May I state that, I have a dream, that one day, a woman will emerge as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the dream is now! This is because, if Nigerians elect a female president, THE NATION WILL BE RESTRUCTURED it will be a turning point in the nation’s history. It will also be an honour to have Nigeria’s first female president. If Nigeria can give women a chance to rule, I am sure we will never regret it.

AGAIN, I HAVE A DREAM, THAT ONE DAY, I WILL EMERGE AS THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AND THE DREAM IS NOW !!!