Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives,
says the national assembly is committed to completing the constitution
amendment process by December 2025, with gender inclusion as a top priority.
Abbas said this while speaking at a joint session of the
10th National Assembly on June 12, 2025, in celebration of democracy day.
Outlining legislative targets for the remainder of the
tenure, Abbas said, “while we celebrate our successes, we remain acutely aware
that it is not yet Uhuru.”
“As we enter the second half of our term, our determination
is unequivocal: to expedite and finalise the constitutional amendment process
by December 2025,” he said.
“Some of our priorities include special reserved seats for
women, formal constitutional roles for traditional rulers and legal backing for
a 35% affirmative action gender policy.”
“We appeal to the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum
and the Progressive Governors’ Forum to advocate for these essential reforms at
the state level.”
The proposed amendments aim to correct gender imbalances in
Nigeria’s political representation.
The Reserved Seats for Women bill, currently under
consideration, seeks to allocate one additional seat per state for women in
both chambers of the national assembly and three special seats per state in the
houses of assembly.
The bill, supported by several lawmakers and advocacy
groups, is expected to come into effect after the current assembly’s term,
pending approval.
Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, has also declared
support for the bill.
Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of female representation
in Africa, with women occupying less than five percent of seats in the national
legislature.
He reaffirmed the house’s commitment to advancing inclusive
governance and delivering reforms that reflect the aspirations of all
Nigerians.
Since June 2023, the 10th national assembly has reviewed
2,263 bills under its eight-point legislative agenda, with 65.3% reaching
Second Reading and 186 passed.
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