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Tag: Elizabeth Ativie

  • Buhari to Osinbajo: Your position ‘threatened’ by women

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday jokingly warned Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that women are interested his position.

    Buhari was reacting to a request by a delegation of the Nigerian Female Parliamentarians that the vice president slot be reserved for women in subsequent elections.

    The Spokesperson for the delegation, Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, had alleged marginalization of Nigerian women in the sharing of political positions.

    “Many African countries have imbibed that culture of twinning and it is working in Rwanda and South Africa. We believe it will work in Nigeria,” she said.

    Buhari acknowledged the efforts of women in ensuring political stability in the country and the support given him during the 2015 presidential elections.

    Read Also: 2019: Women seek Vice President’s seat

    He said: It is a pity the Vice President is not here. But I believe the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will tell him that his position is threatened.”

    Ativie, who spoke on the alleged marginalization of Nigerian women in politics, said “since 1999 we only have one principal officer each in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    “And in the State Houses of Assembly we have only just five per cent, women are five per cent of the total population of elected members of the State Houses of Assembly and we feel that this is not good enough for all the efforts we women had put in the development of this country particularly in politics.”

     

     

  • 2019: Women seek Vice President’s seat

    Some Nigerian Women on Friday pushed for the seat of Vice President of Nigeria to be reserved for women in subsequent elections in the country.

    Women, under the platform of the Nigerian Female Parliamentarians made the demand when they paid a courtesy call on President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Speaking on behalf of the delegation, which comprises of elected lawmakers from the nation’s 36 states, Elizabeth Ativie said Nigerian Women are being marginalized by their male counterparts.

    She said the country only had one principal officer in each of the two chambers of the National Assembly since the return to democracy in 1999.

    She also said that as the President, anything he said at the gathering “will become policy and subsequently law”.

    Read Also:Former Vice President Atiku ‘s son remanded

    She said “Whenever the president is a man, the Vice President should be a woman”.

    Mrs. Ativie also said for every three senatorial seats in the states, one should be a woman.

    She said “Where there are nine House of Reps members, the men should take six and leave three for women”.

    Responding, President Buhari jokingly said “it is a pity that the Vice President is not here, but I am sure the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will brief him that his position is threatened “.

    He however appreciated the support given to him by women generally in the four times he ran for president.

    He recalled reports he received during elections in which women in labour queue to vote for him.

    He asked the delegation to take a message to their colleagues to extend the same support since he has declared to seek for second term.

    On their request, the president simply told the gathering that he is not “as powerful as you think”.

    He said such requests could only be made by a military head of state, but, he has today dropped the uniform for “agbada”.

     

     

  • Oshiomhole urges ex- Edo Speaker to return official vehicles

    Oshiomhole urges ex- Edo Speaker to return official vehicles

    Former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday urged the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie to return the vehicles she used while in office.

    Oshiomhole, who denied asking Ativie to convert the vehicles for her personal use, said he lacked the power to give out vehicles belonging to the Assembly.

    Ativie served as Speaker for 84 days before she stepped down to become the Deputy Speaker.

    She was impeached as deputy speaker on August 14 but refused to return her official vehicles.

    She had told the new leadership of the Assembly headed by Hon. Kabiru Adjoto that the vehicles were given to her by Oshiomhole as compensation for the  “sacrifice” she made by stepping down as speaker for an Esan lawmaker to emerge as speaker.

    The former speaker said she registered the vehicles – two Hilux vans, a Toyota prado jeep and a Lexus jeep 2016 model – in her name and had sold one of them.

    Speaking to journalists at his Iyamho residence, Oshiomhole said Ativie was only asked to use the vehicles as deputy speaker and not to convert them to her personal properties.

    He said Ativie should be prosecuted if it was true she actually registered the vehicles in her name and sold one of them.

  • Edo assembly adjourns plenary in honour of Ogbemudia

    The Edo House of Assembly on Monday adjourned its plenary session for eight days in honour of the late Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, who died at the age of 84 years.

    Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, the Deputy Speaker and member, representing (APC-Uhunmwode) Constituency, moved motion for the adjournment under matters of urgent public importance.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late elder statesman, who died on March 9, was governor of the old Mid-West region and later Bendel State, now Edo and Delta.

    Moving the motion, Ativie said that Ogbemudia had brought unquantifiable development to the defunct Bendel State.

    “We can all attest to the massive road construction and infrastructure development during his tenure as the governor of this region.

    “He founded the Mid-West Institute of Technology, now University of Benin, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and the Palm House, among others,” she said.

    According to her, the assembly commiserates with his family and the entire people of Edo and Delta.

    Other lawmakers took turns to eulogise Ogbemudia for his contributions to the development of the state and Nigeria in general.

    The Assembly also directed all institutions across the state to fly the nation’s flag at half-mast in honour of the late elder statesman.

    The Speaker, Justin Okonoboh, described the death of Ogbemudia as a loss to Edo, saying that he would forever be remembered for his vision for the defunct Bendel State.

    Okonoboh, however, directed that the resolution of the House should be sent to Gov. Godwin Obaseki. 

  • Edo Assembly reaffirms commitment to promotion of gender equality

    Edo Assembly reaffirms commitment to promotion of gender equality

    The Edo House of Assembly on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to continue to promote gender equality through the passage of laws that would protect the rights of women.

    The Speaker of the Assembly, Justin Okonoboh, made the promise during plenary to mark the 2017 international women’s day celebration in Benin.

    Okonoboh noted that the house had passed six bills that affected women and children.

    He listed the bills to include; a law to prohibit Female Circumcision and Genital Mutilation, 1999. And law to make provision for the prohibition of inhuman treatment of widows, 2001.

    Others include; A law to amend the provisions of inhuman treatment of widow (prohibition) law, 2004 and law to provide protection against stigmatisation and discrimination of people living with (HIV/AIDS), 2006.

    He said the House also passed a law to protect the rights of the Child 2007 and a law to establish the Edo State Agency for the Control of Aids, 2009.

    Okonoboh said that the Gender Equality Opportunity Bill,2016 and a Bill for a law to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence against persons were pending.

    According to him, they are before various committees of the House.

    Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, member representing (APC Uhunmwode) Constituency urged Gov. Godwin Obaseki to give top priority to 35 per cent affirmative action in his appointment across the state.

    The affirmative action seeks 35 per cent employment opportunity for women in governance.

     

  • Impeached Edo speaker accepts lawmakers’ decision

    Impeached Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Victor Edoror, on Monday said he has accepted the decision of the lawmakers to appoint new leadership for the House.

    He told journalists shortly after the inauguration of the new Speaker, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie and her deputy, Justin Okonobor, that the lawmakers have the right to pick new persons to lead them.

    Ativie and her deputy were sworn-in Monday by the Clerk of the House, Mr. Lawson Ugiagbe.

    Edoroh said, “As far as I am concerned, I am very pleased with members of the Edo State House of Assembly. I give them kudos for giving me the opportunity to lead them for one year. But it is another opportunity for them to test another leadership. In about two, three months, they will begin to compare. But I wish them well.”

    He was impeached last week by 16 lawmakers over alleged corruption, financial recklessness, dictatorial tendencies, high handedness and short changing of members.

    However, the ex- speaker refused to shake hands with his successor after the inauguration of the House new leaders.

    As it was the usual practice, the speaker shook hands with all the lawmakers but walked out immediately after plenary and avoided meeting the new speaker.

    There was also heavy security presence around the Assembly complex on Monday.

     

  • Edo: Why we impeached Edoror – New Speaker

    The new Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Elizabeth Ativie,  on Thursday explained what caused the recent change in the House leadership, saying the impeached speaker and his deputy were corrupt in their financial handling of the House.

    Ativie said Victor Edoror and Bright Osayande were constantly shortchanging other lawmakers.

    Ativie, who is the first female Speaker of the assembly said, “the former speaker, Hon Victor Edoro, just like I said at the chamber, was very corrupt. His highhandedness in managing his colleagues is one among equals. We were all first elected before electing him to become speaker to extent that he doesn’t come to the House as stipulated by House rules.

    “The funniest thing is that he changed the overhead of the House to suit his own ways, thus ensuring that his colleagues are not properly catered for.  You journalists can also observe that lawmakers in the Edo Assembly were now living like paupers. I don’t want to go into his reckless spending.”