Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Abubakar Y Suleiman, has advocated for more youth and women participation in the legislative arm of government.
At a conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the National Assembly, he said the passage and signing into law of the Not Too Young To Run Bill which reduced the age limits to contest election is a great milestone.
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Suleiman, who is also the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, explained that the EndSARS protests and its aftermath, rampant cases of abuse against women and children and so many other social vices are sources of concern for any reasonable leader.
“We always give women a special treatment of “Bow and Go” whenever they are nominated for any position and come to the Assembly for screening and confirmation. This is done to encourage women to come on board to contribute their quota to nation building.”
The lawmaker observed that lack of confidence to contest, inferiority complex and some religious and cultural beliefs are some of the reasons women don’t contest elective positions.
He therefore stressed the need to encourage women and youths to contest elective positions because unless they contest they can’t get elected.
