Ondo Assembly to partner women groups to actualise women’s rights

The Ondo State House of Assembly has promised to partner women groups across the state to actualise women’s rights under the law.

The Speaker of the House, Bamidele Oleyelogun, said this in Akure on Wednesday while addressing a cross section of women who protested to the House of assembly to demand a revisit and reversal of bills that inhibit women’s rights.

Oleyelogun, who was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Information Youth and Sports Development, Olugbenga Omole, pledged to look into the women’s demands.

According to him, Ondo State House of Assembly is gender-friendly hence, the accelerated passage of the Violence Against Pensions Prohibition Bill into law.

He urged the various women groups to work in synergy for actualisation of their demands and promised that the House would leave no stone unturned at ensuring that their legitimate demands were appropriately addressed.

He commended Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for being at the forefront in the actualisation of women’s rights as epitomised by the appointment of the first female Secretary to the State Government (SSG), amongst other women appointments into various positions in the state.

Meanwhile, over 10 protesting women groups, led by the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Ondo State Chapter, stormed the Assembly.

Among their demands are, the rights of Nigerian Women in diaspora to vote during elections, while their foreign-born husbands should be given Nigerian citizenship.

The NAWOJ Chairperson in the state, Mrs Doris Olumoko, who spoke on behalf of the groups, said women equally demanded the right of a woman to take indigeneship of her husband’s state after five years of marriage.

Olumoko also demanded for 35 per cent appointive positions for women, 35 per cent affirmative action for women in party administration, and allocation of specific seats for women in National Assembly.

She pleaded to end gender discrimination against women and appealed to the House of Assembly to transmit their demands to the National Assembly.