Dr. Tajudeen stated this in Abuja at a two-day Town Hall Strategic Roundtable on the Reserved Seats Bill, organized by the Office of the Speaker House of Representatives, in collaboration with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Foundation.
The Reserve Seats Bill proposes reserving seats for women in Nigeria's legislative bodies.
The proposal includes one additional Senate seat for women in each state, two extra House of Representatives seats for women in each state, and one more member from each senatorial district in state houses of assembly.
The Speaker House of Representatives, while emphasizing the significance of the Bill to Nigerian Democracy, said the Bill presents the opportunity for the stakeholders to correct the poor representation of women's participation in politics and governance processes.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Suleima, described the poor representation of Nigerian women as painful for Nigerian Democracy.
On her part, the Chairperson of the House Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Kafilat Ogba, said active participation of stakeholders in the ongoing constitution review was critical in promoting women's participation in governance.
A Gender Advocate, Ene Ede, in her presentation, dismissed the fear that reserved seats for women will increase the cost of governance.
Other Speakers in their separate presentations urged advocacy groups to lobby relevant stakeholders for the Bill to be passed and assented to.
By Tanimu Salihu
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