From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The National Assembly has said it would hold a legislative dialogue with women as part of ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, stated this during a retreat for consultants and secretariat of the Constitution Review Committee in Abuja.
Kalu, co-chairman of the National Assembly Constitution Review Committee, said the dialogue session was to enable the parliament to interface with women and other well meaning Nigerians on ways to increase women’s political participation in the country.
The deputy speaker commended the consultants, saying the two chambers of the National Assembly were working hard to meet its target to get the first set of constitution alterations out by December 2025.
“Some of the activities in our work plan include national public hearings, follow up retreats, joint retreat with the senate, engagement with the state houses of assembly and governors’ forum.
“I wish to emphasise that we should look at ways to increase political participation of women. It’s very important. We have to find a way to make it easier for us to harvest their wealth of opinion on national policies and issues.
“In this regard, the committee is organising an international legislative dialogue for women in the constitution amendment. We are reaching out to women who have made a major impact across the globe to come in and talk about ‘why not women,’ and ‘why we should increase the number. I thank you and I pray our deliberation shall not be in vain.”