Reps consider bill for each state to produce one female senator

The house of representatives is considering a bill to make it compulsory for every state to reserve at least one seat for a female senator.

Taiwo Oluga, chairman of the house committee on women in parliament, said the bill will soon come up for second reading in the green chamber.

She was speaking on Thursday when she hosted the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) in Abuja.

The bill will address concerns of poor women representation in the corridors of power especially at the national assembly.

Out of the total 469 current federal lawmakers, only 19 females including seven senators were elected.

“What we are proposing in the bill is to have at least a senator from every state; it can be two out of the three,” Oluga said.

“It is not just because the females want to occupy positions, we want to complement efforts of the men; we are not in competition, just to complement them.”

She added that the committee is also advocating for more female representation in the national assembly because “we know we have women who are intelligent and are capable in this country.”

“We have females who have the ability (and) they have demonstrated the ability,” she said.

“We are just 12 in this ninth house but the house recognises that our contributions on the floor cannot be swept under the carpet.

“My own personal opinion is to have 360 members (of the house) divided by two; how we are going to do it, let the political parties and the INEC cooperate and let everyone be on the same page and make it a reality.

 “If you cannot do that, in 2023, give us the 35 percent affirmative action, and that is what we are doing in collaboration with all stakeholders.”