By Feranmi Adeniran
Ahead of the June 2023 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly and the election of Principal officers to run the affairs of the two chambers, the winner of the February 25, 2023 House of Representatives election in Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Alhaja Kafilat Ogbara, has called on the leadership of the her party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other members-elect in the Senate and the House of Representative to be gender friendly as they take decisions about the leaderships of the Assembly.
Ogbara, who is also the National Coordinator, Women in Nigeria for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (WIN4ABAT), said this while declaring her readiness to support the decision of the ruling party on how the principal officers of the National Assembly should emerge. She however called on the APC and other political parties with members in the 10th Assembly to be conscious of the provisions of the National gender policy and make more effort to be gender inclusive when zoning Principal offices of the two chambers.
The frontline female politician made the call in Lagos on Saturday. She said apart from the positions of Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives, other leadership positions could be intentionally ceded to women so as to ensure that female legislators have representation in the leaderships to help drive agitations for women and family related issues in the next administration. She also sees such accommodation for female lawmakers as a way of further encouraging women to go into politics. She added that even the Speaker and Senate President should be ‘he for she’ individuals who are gender sensitive by their antecedents. Personalities who will be prepared to change the Status quo of our failed gender related bills in the 9th Assembly.
“As managers of the homes, women have gotten the requisite skills to show good leadership and these virtues have been displayed by many women who have been appointed into leadership positions in the country in recent past. I believe that female legislators will do excellently well too if given the opportunity just as we had at least one in the 9th Assembly and we must not have less if not more. I am therefore calling on the leadership of my great party, APC and other political parties with members in the 10th Assembly to allocate leadership positions to women in the Senate and House of Representatives upon inauguration,” she said.
Ogbara said the incoming national assembly would be more focused for effective governance, especially if female legislators are saddled with more leadership responsibilities.
“We may not be much in number, but as mothers and homemakers, we have a lot to contribute. This is why I am appealing, because we need the understanding of our fathers and brothers to achieve this desire,” she said. She expressed confidence that the in-coming National Assembly would work in synergy with the executive arm of government to ensure smooth administration of the country for the renewal of the hopes of Nigerians and a the rising of a greater Nigeria.