Alhaja Kafilat Ogbara, the House of Representatives-elect, for Kosofe Federal Constituency in Lagos State has called on APC leadership to give principal roles for female legislators in the 10th National Assembly.
Ogbara, in a statement on Sunday in Lagos advised the leadership of the ruling party to ensure gender friendliness ahead of the June inauguration of the 10th National Assembly and the election of Principal officers to run the affairs of the two chambers.
She also urged other members-elect in the Senate and the House of Representative to be give female lawmakers more roles as they take decisions about the leaderships of the 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, who is also the National Coordinator, Women in Nigeria for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (WIN4ABAT), declared her readiness to support the decision of the ruling party on how the principal officers of the National Assembly should emerge.
She 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.
According to him, aside the Senate Presidency and the Speakership of House of Representatives, other leadership positions should be given to female legislators so as to ensure that they have representation in the leaderships to help drive agitations for women and family-related issues in the next administration.
“We see such accommodation for female lawmakers as a way of further encouraging women to go into politics.
“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,” she said.
Ogbara said the incoming national assembly would be more vibrant, resourceful and more focused for effective governance, especially if more female legislators are saddled with more leadership responsibilities.
According to her, the appeal becomes necessary because negotiation remains the best approach, considering the fewness in the number of the elected female lawmakers in the next national assembly.
““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 the rising of a greater Nigeria.
