Permanent Secretary receives SIDEC team in Owerri, supports Special Seats Bill

Says Bill advocacy is awesome  

By Eze Adiuku, Owerri

With the ongoing advocacy for reserved legislative seats at both the national and states Assemblies in Nigeria, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women and Social Development in Imo State, Mr Godson Ikeọma, has received a team from Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC)in Owerri.

Okeoma while welcoming the team, expressed support to the Special Seats Bill which has passed first and second reading at the House of Representatives.

The advocacy is part of Project Impact being implemented by SIDEC in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with funding support from UK FCDO.

Project Impact is ongoing in Anambra and Imo states and seeks to achieve inclusive electoral and governance systems where both male and female, youths and persons with disabilities are given equal opportunity to occupy elective public offices.

Continuing in his speech, Mr Okeoma described the project as awesome, decrying poor implementation of good ideas.

He equally commended SIDEC for undertaking the advocacy, and used the opportunity to laud Governor Hope Uzodimma for his belief and passion for inclusivity, disclosing that the Governor has appointed another Person With Disability (PWD) as a Permanent Secretary.

The Permanent Secretary advised SIDEC to draw a blueprint on how to go about the advocacy in support of the Bill.

In her remarks, Ugochi Agalaba-Ehiahuruike, Executive Director of SIDEC explained that it is said that poverty has the face of a woman, stated that they are simply asking that women should be given a space.

She bemoaned the low number of women in governance, revealing that the Bill proposes additional 37 Senate seats for women (1 per state + FCT), 37 House of Representatives seats for women (1 per state + FCT) and 3 State House of Assembly seats for women per state (1 per senatorial district).

According to her, the Bill seeks 108 reserved seats for women, adding that apart from the reserved seats, women are free to contest other offices with their male counterparts.

The Executive Director of SIDEC said the advocacy will help increase women’s representation in governance and promote gender equality and inclusivity, saying that such has been experimented successfully in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Agalaba-Ehiahuruike appealed that the Bill requires two-thirds majority in House of Representatives and Senate and two-third majority in at least 24 State Houses of Assembly for it to be passed into law.

She urged the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary to assist in. canvassing support for the Bill among the Ministry’s leadership and stakeholders among others.