By Godwin Ajom
With the Cross River State Local Government and the 2027 elections on sight, Gender and Development Action GADA has declared total support and interest in the passage of the Gender Equality and Opportunity (GEO) Bill.
With the primary vision to ensure inclusivity, through women in leadership and a strong desire for inclusive political and leadership participation, stakeholders say the Gender Equality and Opportunity (GEO) bill remains a medium to bridge the gender gap in leadership.
The bill was first introduced to the National Assembly in March 2010 as a critical piece of legislation aimed at domesticating the provisions of international agreements ratified by Nigeria. Despite its importance, the bill faced considerable opposition, rooted in cultural and religious misconceptions, which led to its outright rejection in the Senate.
In 2016, itl was reintroduced, reflecting the continued commitment of segments of society to gender equality. However, it was withdrawn at the National Assembly and re-presented with considerations, this time including provisions to address concerns raised by opponents and emphasizing its alignment with Nigeria’s existing legal framework and cultural values.
Despite these efforts, the GEO was not passed into law. With its repeated call, underscoring the persistent opposition to advancing gender equality in Nigeria using appropriate legislative frameworks, Stakeholders say.
However, with renewed calls for the Bill’s passage at the Cross River State House of Assembly, Co-founder and Board Member Of GADA, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, says her organization has total support: “This is sixteen years of representing the same Bill to the National Assembly and increasingly also to many States Houses of Assembly. If it wasn’t an important piece of legislation, people would have given up by now.
“We are very hopeful that having faced the crisis that it faced the last time, with the five gender Bills being thrown out, this time round we have done sufficient work to see that this Bill doesn’t fail. It’s embarrassing that in 20 years we are still tackling the same issue.”
On her part, Honorable Mercy Akpama representing Yakurr 2 State Constituency, said, “Gender equality Bill or Gender equity Bill should not be debated.”
She said the main imperatives of the Bill centers on gender equality, violence against women, people living with disabilities, and the youths for the betterment of all. She mentioned that the word ‘equality’ is being disputed by some male lawmakers at the national Assembly, a situation that is giving room for the word to be replaced with ‘equity’.
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