In Nigeria, legislative committee holds public hearing on reserved seats for women

The push for special seats for women in the national and state assemblies gained momentum Monday at a national public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, women groups, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other stakeholders expressed support for a bill seeking the creation of reserved seats for women in Nigeria’s legislative houses, stressing that gender inclusion is central to the country’s democratic and developmental aspirations. [ . . . ] After a review of yesterday’s event, the committee will present its report on the bill to plenary. Each proposal will then be voted on clause by clause. [ . . . ] Once both chambers pass the bill in the same format, it will be transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly. At least, 24 state assemblies must approve each amendment by a simple majority for it to succeed. The results from the various state assemblies will then be returned to the National Assembly, which will adopt them before sending the approved bill to the president for assent. If the president assents, the amendments become law. However, if the process fails at any stage—whether due to insufficient votes in the National Assembly, rejection by states, or lack of presidential assent—it ends.
Read the full article here: Daily Trust