TheCable

The house of representatives says lobbying for gender bills in the constitution amendment was done late.

Benjamin Kalu, spokesperson of the house, said this on Thursday while briefing journalists in Abuja.

TheCable had reported how senators and members of the house voted against bills seeking to provide more opportunities for women in politics and governance.

A bill proposing to create special seats for women in the national and state houses of assembly, as well as a bill seeking to “provide reserve quota” for the appointment of women into government, were among the legislations rejected on Tuesday.

The development has sparked criticism against the parliament, with women groups and other stakeholders calling on the legislators to re-present the bills for consideration.

Addressing journalists, Kalu said stakeholders should have lobbied for the bills to be passed earlier enough before voting on the legislation was done.

“I have commended all these people, who even visited the national assembly. That is the beauty of democracy. Because if it were not, the wives of the president and the vice president would have no business coming here. They knew that it was only through lobby, not as you have described us as a rubberstamp where they will just give us instructions—maybe the husband (Muhammadu Buhari) will give us instructions and we will get it done,” he said.

“But I must say this, the lobbying was done a bit late. Yes, I want to say that, but this lobby and advocacy ought to have started longer than now. I say that without mincing words.

“You don’t lobby two days to the voting on a very important issue like this. It goes beyond lobbying at the last minute. It takes a lot of orientation. It takes a lot of advocacy. It takes a lot of sensitisation to enable people to buy into these important agendas. Do you know why? Because you cannot play down on our current issues with regards to emerging democracies, one of which is our religious disposition, our cultural dispositions.

“These things play a role. We are part of society, our religion and culture is part of society. It needs a lot of advocacy by civil society organisations, women groups to push this agenda forward, it is a wonderful agenda.

“Nigerians are shifting their focus to the representatives only, it was not the senators and the representatives that did the job, and it was the instruction from their various constituents. This is the truth that must be told. If the house as an institution is not interested in the bill, it would not have passed the first reading, second reading and be allowed to go to the committee stage.”