by FIDA

International Women’s Day 2022 Theme: “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”

Envision a nation where everyone is carried along, given equal opportunities, rights and benefits, a nation where everyone is opportune, without discrimination, to play any key roles they desire based on their strengths and merit.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.
When women are empowered as decision-makers and leaders, the people and nation benefit.
Thus, there is the strong need to have more allocation of spaces and opportunities for women’s inclusion, in order to bring better attention to germaine issues that uniquely affect them, and to by so doing, change the negative attitudes towards gender-based issues.
Currently, women occupy just about four percent of all the national assembly seats — eight of the 109 seats at the senate and 11 of the 360 seats at the house. This disparity is acknowledged and unpardonable, so we continue the struggle to create gender equality among the citizens in governance.
In addition, due to the negative socio-economic impact of climate change and its impact on livelihood women and girls are burden bearers and suffer the most.
As the world marks the International Women’s Day 2022, with the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, FIDA Nigeria recognizing the important contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, politics, mitigation, and the response to building a more sustainable future for all, commends the efforts made so far and calls for more progressive efforts in Nigeria.
We emphatically state that effective participation of women in decision- making and the empowerment of women must be priority for all if gender equality must be achieved.
Consequently, FIDA canvasses a need for total inclusiveness and equal access at all levels to all key things of importance in life such as education, health, work opportunities for women. We shout out the need to come together to break all cultural, traditional and religious bias against women’s inclusiveness so to enable full women’s participation.
To commemorate the IWD 2022, FIDA Nigeria will amongst other things, be hosting a webinar to discuss:
Gender Equality, where we are and a sustainable tomorrow.
FIDA Nigeria commends the recent recommendation by the Joint Senate and House Committees on Constitution Review to create additional Seats for Women at National & State Houses of Assembly, Urges Sustained Action by Civil Society Groups on Its Ratification & Assent into Law.
FIDA will continue to work to support credible, hardworking, meritorious women to break the glass ceiling in their respective spheres of operation.
We call for a greater gender balance, all round, at all levels and in all its ramifications, as we assure all of the great benefits that will accrue to our communities and our nation.
Empowered women empower the world

IWD2021

BreakTheBias

Signed:

Mrs. Amina Suzanah Agbaje
Country Vice President/National President
FIDA Nigeria

Christiana Oyanvutu Adejumo
National Publicity Secretary
FIDA Nigeria

by FIDA

FIDA Nigeria Demands Equal Representation of Women at All Levels of Governance & Leadership in Nigeria

FIDA Nigeria Demands Equal Representation of Women at All Levels of Governance & Leadership in Nigeria: Enjoins Reconsideration of All Gender Responsive Bills Rejected By The Senate.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers has strongly demonstrated support for legislative frameworks that supports the rights & attainment of women into leadership positions & other affirmative aspirations. This has been evidenced through her well-known participation at the public hearing forums organized by Joint National Assembly Constitution review committee in the six geo-political zones. FIDA Nigeria’s position through her memorandum was on gender affirmative actions and creation of special seats for women at both the National & States Houses of Assembly. We had gone further to eulogise the Joint Committee for taking into consideration our memorandum, upon which the various gender-responsive bills were submitted to both the Senate & Federal Houses of Representatives for ratification.

Despite this giant stride towards promoting gender inclusivity in leadership which we had recorded, we were dismayed on the 1st of March 2022, a date which will always be remembered in our nascent democracy, when most members of the Nigeria Senate at the Senate Chambers voted against the following Gender-responsive Bills submitted for its consideration:
a) Bill No 35. A bill for an act to provide special seats for women in National & State House of Assembly
b) Bill No 37, A bill for an act to provide for affirmative action in political party administration
c) Bill No 36, A bill for an act to expand the scope of citizenship by registration
d) Bill No 38, A bill for an act to provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria.
Based on the majority votes from these members, these gender responsive bills whose beneficiaries are mainly women were rejected. The implication of this rejection indicates there is no proportional representation for women at the parliament, women are denied 35% affirmative action in party administration & leadership positions, denial of affirmative action of women into appointed positions , denial of indigene ship by women of their husband’s state after 5 years of being together, denial of citizenship to the foreign-born husband of a Nigerian women amongst others, which has made the struggle for an egalitarian society most inevitable.
a) We urge all like-minded civil society organisations, women led organisations & women’s right’s organizations to sustain advocacy and intensify demands for Gender equality and opportunities by occupying the National Assembly until the rejected bills are considered
b) We call on the Nigeria Senate to as a matter of urgency reconsider consideration of these gender responsive bills

We hope that these sustained advocacy measures will enable the National Assembly in general & the Senate in particular to retract from these patriarchal dispositions towards giving women equal opportunities through reconsideration of these bills even as we commemorate the International Women’s Day on 8th March 2022.

God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Amina Suzana Agbaje(Mrs)
Country Vice President/National President
FIDA Nigeria

by FIDA

FIDA Rejects Senate’s Vote on Gender Responsive Bills

Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.

FIDA rejects Senate’s vote on gender-responsive bills, demands equal representation by inclusion of women at all levels of governance. Calls for gender equality and opportunities

#breakthebias #BreakPoliticalBias #BreakConstitutionBias #NigerianWomenMatter

by FIDA

FIDA Nigeria Visits the UN House

FIDA Nigeria attended a meeting organized by Ms. Soulef Guessoum, West & Central Africa Regional Advisor Governance & Women’s political participation UN Women at the UN House on 28th February 2022 on measures & collaborative efforts to mitigate violence against women during elections in Nigeria.

Both Organisations resolved to stem electoral violence through systemic approaches in their interventions ahead of the staggered elections in Osun & Ekiti State and the general elections in 2023. FIDA was duly represented by her Country Vice /National President: Amina Suzana Agbaje who was accompanied by National Ex-Officio, Rhoda P. Tyoden and Programme Manager, Fikih Obaro.