The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has charged Nigerian women to go beyond rhetorics in pushing for the rights of women even as he advocated for legislative framework for 35% affirmative action.<\/p>\n
According to Senator Akpabio the Nigerian Senate will take steps toward advancing gender equality, pledging to introduce laws that will eliminate systemic barriers hindering women\u2019s progress in governance, politics, and the economy.<\/p>\n
Senator Akpabio made the pledge at a special session to commemorate the 2025 International Women\u2019s Day held at the National Assembly with the theme: “Economic and Political Inclusion: Walk the Talk.”<\/p>\n
The Senate President emphasized that beyond the annual celebrations, the Senate must take concrete legislative actions to protect and empower women.<\/p>\n
He assured that the Senate would work toward enshrining a 35% affirmative action policy in law to ensure equitable female representation in leadership roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot keep talking about gender equality without legislative frameworks to back our words with action,\u201d Akpabio stated. \u201cIt is time to remove the roadblocks preventing women from accessing opportunities, whether in governance, business, or education. The 10th National Assembly is committed to making real change happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event had in attendance top government officials, women groups including the National Council for Women Societies, women activists, including Deputy Senate President Barau I. Jibrin, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and Minister of Women Affairs Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim among others.<\/p>\n
Minister of Women Affairs, Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted the federal government\u2019s increased support for women\u2019s advancement, citing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s unprecedented 1000% budgetary boost for the Ministry of Women Affairs.<\/p>\n
She stressed that while financial commitments were essential, systemic change required legal backing and consistent enforcement of gender-focused policies.<\/p>\n
Director of Media & Public Affairs and chair of the organizing committee, Ms. Tabitha I. Sallah challenged lawmakers to accelerate the passage of pending gender equality bills. \u201cThe conversation about women\u2019s rights has been ongoing for decades. The real test is whether we are ready to make history by turning promises into laws,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
As the Senate pushes for gender-sensitive reforms, all eyes will be on lawmakers to see if their commitments translate into tangible policies that guarantee Nigerian women a fair stake in leadership and development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has charged Nigerian women to go beyond rhetorics in pushing for the rights of women even as he advocated for legislative framework for 35% affirmative action. According to Senator Akpabio the Nigerian Senate will take steps toward advancing gender equality, pledging to introduce laws that will eliminate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[18,2,35],"class_list":["post-615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-assembly","tag-akpabio","tag-nass","tag-womens-day"],"yoast_head":"\n