International Women’s Day: Oshodin urges NASS to be gender-sensitive

The Director-General, Voice For Good Governance, VGG, Pastor Dr. Osarumwense Solomon Oshodin urged the National Assembly to be gender-sensitive in their role as lawmakers for a sustainable and better Nigeria.

Pastor Dr. Oshodin made this known while addressing pressmen in his office in Benin on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Pastor Dr. Oshodin who is also the President of Great Thinkers Initiative condemned in strong terms the National Assembly members who voted against the bills seeking affirmative action of women in governance noting that their actions show that they do not have the interest of women in this country at heart.

He urged the women not to be deterred by this development but to continue to clamour for gender equality in governance and to gain equal representation at the level of lawmaking and political participation.

” Women has a lot of roles to play in nation-building. In governance and political participation, women should enjoy equality with their male counterparts. The National Assembly members that voted against the bill seeking legal backing for women’s affirmative action is condemnable. Those that voted for the disenfranchisement of women do not have their well being at heart. And at the end of the day, they’ll be the ones to go back to their constituencies to seek the votes of these women who they disenfranchised.

Women and youths constitute a greater part of the electorate in Nigeria so there should be gender equality. Women should not be deterred, they should continue to push forward. They should also put their house in order as there were also women in the National Assembly that should have championed the bill to scale through but did not”.

Pastor Dr. Oshodin said that the amended electoral law will strengthen the electoral process of Nigeria maintaining that the electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should go about their business strictly following the law.

On Independent candidacy, Pastor Dr. Oshodin said that it will give room for persons that has the progress of Nigeria at heart but no money to contest under political parties to come up.