We’ll protect women’s rights —Tambuwal

[Punch]

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Monday assured Nigerian women of his commitment to protecting their rights.

Tambuwal said this on Monday at the  opening of a two-day Women in Parliament Summit, organised by Democracy for Good Governance project.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the summit with the theme, 'Advancing the gender agenda in Nigeria: The role of law makers', is co-organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Women in Parliament.

According to him, issues concerning the rights of women should continue to be on the front burner of national discourse.

He said, "Gender equality is guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution, which clearly states that no one must be discriminated against the basis of intercourse, ethnicity, religious or political affiliation.

"The unequal treatment of people on the basis of their gender is therefore illegal.

"Besides, there is growing evidence that gender inequality and discrimination contributes to the increase in poverty."

He stressed the need for proper sensitisation of the public to the need to continue to fight issues that promoted gender inequality.

"The more people learn about this issue, the more chances there are to eliminate it altogether," he added.

Tambuwal said plans were underway by the legislature to employ tougher punitive measures against people who targeted women during clashes.

In a keynote address, Dr. Abiola Kiyode-Afolabi of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, said the summit was to reaffirm the commitment towards ensuring gender balance.

She spoke of the need for stakeholders to work together on gender-related matters to strengthen the fight against gender discrimination.

"It is important for all law makers to understand basic gender concepts, principles and framework, she said.

The Punch