NASS committed to women, youth involvement in governance – Omo-Agege

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has assured that the National Assembly is committed to greater women and youth involvement in public governance in Nigeria through creative legislative interventions.
This comes as he decried women participation in public governance in Sub-Saharan Africa which is presently below 24.7 percent.
Senator Omo-Agege stated this while making a virtual presentation at a high-level conference on strengthening women and youth participation in the National Assembly.
According to him, no country can ever maximize its potential without fully exploring and exploiting the energy in its youth population, adding that “There is the need to drive inclusion and inclusive governance in both the Legislative and the Executive Arms of Government. This is a necessary step to achieving gender equality and full democratic governance.
“Because women represent more than half of the Nigerian population and the youths are the most energetic and dynamic segment of our society, I have no doubt that with many more of them participating in the decisions that shape our lives, they would pave the way for a more just, equitable, and peaceful society”.

The Ninth National Assembly, he noted, is championing the removal of clogs hampering the actualization of a comprehensive self-development of women and youths through legislative interventions.
He cited the Sexual Harassment Bill, passed by the Senate, awaiting concurrence at the House of Representatuves to buttress his point.

“While it is broadly acknowledged that there is no universal model that fits all circumstances, I am proud of the National Assembly’s commitment to the provision of equitable opportunities for the participation of Women and Youth in the Governance Process, by way of legislation and even by Constitutional amendment.

“I trust that the gains of this discourse would aid further engagements and help significantly as we engineer our home-grown solutions. It should also help set benchmarks for accountability on this all-important issue of greater women and youth participation in democratic governance. For us in Nigeria, we are ready,” he stated.

To prepare the youth and women for effective political participation, the Delta Central lawmaker made a case for funding schemes for youth-run businesses to empower them economically.