Opposition parties to N/Assembly: Expedite work on all women-friendly bills

Opposition political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Tuesday, charged the lawmakers in both green and red chamber to favourably expedite work on all women-friendly bills before them.

The CUPP, which joined other well-meaning Nigerians to celebrate with all in marking 2022 International Women’s Day, also tasked the lawmakers to further enlarge the space for public participation of women in the economic and socio-political aspects of the nation’s daily life.

• Rising ritual killings, kidnapping, rape worry Ogun Assembly
• Allow prisoners to vote during elections, Senate urges INEC

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the spokesman of CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochukwu, expressed displeasure over the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led National Assembly leadership to slap women a few days to their celebrations day by rejecting the bills that would have opened the political space for more women participation.

Congratulating the women – mothers, wives, daughters and sisters, Ugochukwu said that the leader of the opposition family, Iyorcha Ayu, is pained by “this parliamentary decision and have since commenced action towards mobilising our lawmakers on how best to deal with the challenges posed by the rejection of the bill.”

He said that International Women’s Day, “is another opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a people in giving our women the pride of place in our society, in conformity with relevant best practices.

“It is an occasion to reaffirm our support for implementable affirmative actions for our women and to further re-emphasise our firm resolve to end all forms of Gender-Based Violence within our powers.

“We, therefore, join all men of goodwill across the world to celebrate our immensely resourceful and industrious women, while calling on all parliaments to favourably expedite work on all women-friendly bills before them, to further enlarge the space for public participation of our women in the economic and socio-political aspects of our daily life.”