Nigerian Female Senators Do Not Care About Women Issues

Nigeria’s ninth Senate comprises of eight females out of 109 senators. The few women in Nigeria’s federal legislature is an indication that women are still significantly at a disadvantage in terms of political and economic opportunities.

Ordinarily, one would expect every woman who gets the opportunity to be heard to promote women issues. But this does not appear to be the case in the 9th Senate, where the seven women in the chamber do not appear to have women on their minds.

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While some of them may be vociferous during debates about women, they have not taken significant steps to promote women’s interest since June 11, 2019, when the ninth National Assembly was inaugurated. This is evident from the bills they have proposed to their colleagues.

THE WHISTLER found that out of the 274 bills passed by the 8th Senate, none was devoted to the cause of women. Our findings also show that only 6 of the 109 senators that made up the 8th Senate were women.

In the 9th Senate, where there exists an increased number of female senators, it is expected that issues that affect women should top the agenda of the female senators

We take a look at the eight female senators in the 9th Senate and the bills some of them have proposed thus far.

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REMI TINUBU (APC)

Senator Remi Tinubu, who represents Lagos Central senatorial district in the 9th senate, is presently serving her third term in the upper legislative chamber.

Tinubu was first elected into the Senate in 2011 under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In 2015, she won re-election to represent Lagos Central on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and repeated the feat in the 2019 National Assembly elections.

Tinubu had sponsored the Labour Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016, to enhance employment opportunities for women. The bill which scaled second reading, however, was never passed by the 8th Senate.

In the 9th Senate, the senator sponsored

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ABIODUN OLUJIMI (PDP)

Senator Olujimi, a former deputy governor of Ekiti State, was first elected to represent Ekiti South senatorial district in 2015.

She had lost re-election to APC’s candidate in the 2019 election, but later reclaimed her seat at the Ekiti State National Assembly Election Tribunal and the Appeal Court and was sworn into office on November 14, 2019.

Like Tinubu, Olujimi’s bill for an Act to incorporate and enforce certain provisions of the UN’s ‘Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)’ never saw the light of the day after passing second reading in 8th Senate.

CEDAW is an international bill of rights for women which seeks to address women’s right to equality in marriage and family life, sex stereotypes and sex trafficking, among others.

UCHE EKWUNIFE (PDP)

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Senator Ekwunife is serving a second term as the senator representing Anambra Central senatorial district. She was first elected into the office in 2015.

She had served two terms as a member of the House of Representatives representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency of Anambra State.

Our findings show that the banker-turned politician did not sponsor a bill that seeks to address issues affecting women.

She sponsored the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (Est, etc.) Bill, 2015, which was passed by the 8th Senate. In October 2019, she sponsored a bill for an Act to amend the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion Act, 2004.

BETTY APIAFI (PDP)

The three-time House of Representatives member for Abua/Odual/Ahoada East Federal Constituency (2015-2019) was elected to the Nigerian Senate to represent Rivers West senatorial district in Rivers State in the last senatorial election.

Apiafi, who is an economist, retired banker and a former school teacher, has two bills –Federal Medical Centers (Est. etc.) Bill, 2019 and Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – before the Senate.

She, however, has yet to sponsor a bill that seeks to address the problems faced by women in the society.

ROSE OKO (PDP)

Rose Oko was elected as the first female to represent Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency in June 2011 in the 7th House of Representatives.

Oko also became the first female senator to represent Cross River North in the Senate when she was elected in 2015.

The former school teacher retained the office in the 2019 National Assembly elections.

Oko sponsored seven bills in the 8th Senate, but none of the bills supported women causes.

STELLA ODUAH (PDP)

Senator Oduah is among the few female senators that got re-elected in the last general election.

She was re-elected to represent Anambra North senatorial district after serving a first term from 2015 to 2019.

Oduah sponsored the Private Hospitals Regulation Bill, 2019, since assuming office for second term.

AISHATU AHMED DAHIRU (APC)

Aisha Dahiru is first-time senator who was elected on the banner of the APC to represent Adamawa Central senatorial district in the last general election.

She was the only female senator elected from North in the last general election.

Dahiru sponsored the Modibo Adama University of Technology (Est, etc) Bill, 2019, since assuming office.

AKON EYAKENYI

Eyakanyi, who had previously served as a former minister of lands, housing and urban development, is another first-time senator.

She was elected under the platform of the PDP to represent Oron/Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District in the last general elections.

Eyakanyi has yet to sponsor any bill since assuming office on June 11.

Efforts by THE WHISTLER to get the views of the female senators proved abortive as they were not picking their calls.

However, Senator Tinubu’s aide picked her call and requested for a formal letter which was immediately done and sent to her email, but there was no response from the senator.

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