REPS, UN SIGN MOU ON WOMEN INCLUSION IN GOVERNANCE
The House of Representatives has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with the United Nations Women on the need to increase the number of women in governance.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas said on Thursday in Abuja that the partnership is to amplify the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and the Bill on Women’s Parliamentary Seats.
Represented by his Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, Abbas said that the advocacy partnership will serve as a tool to lobby other stakeholders especially the constituents for women inclusivity.
He stressed the need to build the capacity of women and sensitize them to support female aspirants.
According to him, women should be encouraged to bring their best in contributing to national development and not to compete with men or be seen to be antagonistic to men.
Earlier, the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong said that Nigerians are looking up to the National Assembly to address the problem of women under-representation.
She said that there are about four per cent of women elected to the National Assembly, and that there are only seven women serving in the forty five member federal cabinet.
