By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
A member representing Kagarko Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly North-West, Nigeria Honourable Nuhu Shadafiya is to sponsor and present Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill as a Private Member Bill before the State House of Assembly.
The Lawmaker agreed to sponsor the Bill when he received the State Co-ordinator of a Non-Governmental Organization—Affirmative Active Initiative for Women (NCAA) Ms. Ngukwase Surma and her team in his constituency, Kagarko Local Government Area for a sensitization tour Monday.
Hon. Shadafiya informed that the legislative work of the bill has processes that will come from the Executive or a Private Member which will have the approval of the Speaker of the House who will now give the permission for the bill to go through.
The Member pointed out that he will also need a co-sponsor of the bill, which mean, he will lobby some members that are flowing with him on the same idea to present the bill before the House.
“I have very high profile motivated members in the House who would want the upliftment of the families, women, youths and even the men which the bill covers to provide protection for human dignity of all persons”.
“The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufia that we have, is a governor that is very sensitive to every issue that has to do with women, family and rights and l believe it will not be out of place for him to assent the bill when it comes to his table after necessary proceedings” he said.
“But one accept that have help me today is the presentation of the bill at the grass root of my constituency, it means that my constituency is supporting it as their own contribution for the social-economic situation of the state. It is something that everyone has to applaud.
The Lawmaker opined that the goal of the Gender Equity bill is to provide a legislation that seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex and gender in private and public spaces, affirms the rights of women and men to equity and equal opportunities to the resources and opportunities in Kaduna State so they can realize their full potential.
Hon. Shadafiya therefore promised to be ready for any criticism, changes and innovations of what the House will bring to be the yardstick that would be able to push them to sponsor the bill.
Earlier, the Kaduna State Co-ordinator, Affirmative Active Initiative for Women (NCAA) Ms. Ngukwase Surma who seeks for the bill to become a Law, explained that the bill will established a State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission which shall have and exercise the powers conferred on it by the bill.
“The commission shall investigate and make application to the appropriate court or tribunal for an order of assessment of practices of any person, organ, body, institution, private or public organ in accordance with the bill”.
“The bill has been passed in Imo, Ekiti and Plateau states. It is expected that the bill will soon be passed in Edo, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers, Lagos, Ogun and Kaduna states,” she said.
In his remarks, the Administrator of Kagarko Local Government Area, Alhaji Muhammed Mainasibi assured that his constituency will give every necessary support to see that the Gender Equity bill is passed into law.
