Senate President Bukola Saraki, says the Gender and Equal Opportunity
Bill which was rejected by the senate yesterday March 15th, will be
re-presented at the Senate by Senator Biodun Olujimi who introduced it.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Gender issues, Fatima
Kakuri, Saraki said the bill had some grey areas which many of the
senators rejected due to religious and traditional belief. He said he
had it on good authority that Senator Olujimi will be representing the
bill once it is re-drafted.

His statement below

“Today, we discussed the Domestication of the Provisions of the United
Nations Convention Eliminating all forms of discrimination against women
under A Bill For An Act To Incorporate and Enforce Certain Provisions
of The United Nations Convention On The Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women – the protocol to the African Charter on
Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, and Other
Matters Connected Therewith. As I said during the International Womens
Day last week, I am of the opinion that there are substantial parts of
the bill that are crucial to the development of our nation such as the
Equal Access to Education, strengthening of the laws on Violence against
Women, Ending Abduction of girls, Sustenance and Promotion of
Entrepreneurship opportunities, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender
equality, female participation in governance, among others.

Unfortunately, the bill suffered a slight set back because there were
some parts of the Bill that some Senators disagreed with along the lines
of religion and tradition. The beauty of democracy is that it gives us
the opportunity to consider different opinions and this bill can still
be represented and reconsidered on the floor of the Senate I have it on
good authority that Senator Biodun Olujimi who introduced this bill will
reintroduce it after re-drafting it to address some of the reservations
that were expressed on the floor of the Senate”.