ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Senate on Tuesday rejected a move to encourage Nigerian men to marry more than one wife, following a submission from the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume.
This is even as the Red Chamber has urged the Federal Government to use all in its powers to bring back the Chibok girls and other abducted girls, unite them with their parents, and stop the heinous crime of girl abduction in Nigeria.
After Senator Oluremi Tinubu led the debates on a four-prayer motion on the 2016 International Women’s Day, Ndume rose to make his contribution.
“What I am saying is that men should take care of women, not only by befriending them. For example, he should go further to marry them. I want to tell this hallowed chamber and distinguished colleagues that I am of both religion to say (that) my mother is a christian, half of my family are Christians and half of my family are Muslims. I know there is nowhere in the Bible that prohibits more than one wife,” he submitted.
In his contribution, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, called for the Constitution to provide for a promotional representation so that women would be able to have special seats in the government.
“This is a very important day for us as Nigerians, who respect our women. We are Africans, we value our women. The role of women is as old as creation. When God created man, He discovered that there was a gap in the man’s life; and so, He created the woman, and since then, woman has been a helper.
“Today, we rise to celebrate our women, who are indeed very special. The African woman, indeed Nigerian woman, has been very caring, loving and submissive. She’s been a special being, and have done so much in our lives. Without them, we won’t be where we are today.
“I think we need to encourage our women more because in the last Senate, we had more women than we have now. I think (that) it is time for us to consider in our Constitution a provision for promotional representation so that they would be able to have special seats for women in parliament, in government, and also in judiciary so that we would be able to ensure that at all times, like our counterparts in southern part of Africa, we have enough women, who will now populate the governance of our country,” Ekweremadu offered.
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In her submission, the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, urged the world to put on the front burner the issues of gender equality, children, rape, abduction and child marriage.
“In supporting this motion, let me say to you that the Chairman (of the Women Affairs Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu), today, wore a zipper with a ‘B’ at the back, which is the name of her husband (Bola). That goes to show you how much we value our men.
“We want the whole world to put on the front burner the issues of gender equality, the issues of our children, the issues of rape, the issues of abduction and the issues of child marriage. We have to put all of them in proper perspective for the country to be able to reap from the benefits that are abundant in having a girl-child as a daughter, as a wife, a sister or a niece.
“Whichever way you want to see it, we are the salt of the earth. We make everything fine, and wherever we are as women, there is always sanity, probity and there is always accountability.
“That we would come together and allocate certain seats, a certain number to women. We must put round pegs in round holes, we are not saying put people who are not competent there; but we are saying this is a gender sensitive Senate. But the women are too few, and I hope and pray (that) when this Chamber reports again, it would have been increased, and we would increase across the nation,” she said.
Also speaking on the motion, Senator Shehu Sanni called for the 2016 budgetary provision meant to assist women in trade and other skills to be very more emphasised.
“Our women have played an outstanding role in our socio-economic and political development as a nation and as a people. Their contribution is huge and enormous, and there is no better way to appreciate their inputs and contributions than to utilise this opportunity of change within the 2016 Budget to see that an impact is made in transforming their lives. The budgetary provision for this year meant to assist women in trade and other skills should be very more emphasised, and I would also say on a greater note, there should be a reform of our laws in which a quota should be reserved for women because the existing political arrangement, as it is, apart from waiving the purchase of forms for women, there is virtually nothing for them. I fully support that women should be supported and possibly funded to fully participate in our political process,” he said.
But Senator Binta Marsi Garba took a shot at Ndume, while making her contribution.
“We are not sex objects. The Bible is in support of one-man-one-woman. We want gender equality, where women can work side-by-side. We have gone to school in the same class, and there was no discrimination; but when it comes to governance, women are being deprived of working in accordance with what we have learnt in school. It is a celebration of women. Take a day today to celebrate your wives and your daughters,” she challenged men.
The motion, therefore, prayed as follows: felicitate with Nigerian women on this year’s International Women’s Day celebration; urged government at all levels to put adequate security in schools to ensure safety of children, especially the girl child in all boarding schools; and urged governments at all levels to reinvigorate micro-economic policies to better serve women and ensure full and equal participation of women in decision making at all levels and generally engage policies that would promote gender equality.
Ndume returned for an additional prayer, which was seconded by Senator Sulaiman Nazif.
“As a sign of respect and love for the (Nigerian) women, urge all men, unless the religion prohibits, to marry more than one wife,” Ndume said.
Although Ndume’s additional prayer elicited some noise from his colleagues, but he stood his ground to offer some explanations, it was, however, not taken, as the ‘nays’ went against it.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who noted that things have evolved in the world, urged the lawmakers and citizens to take cognisance of this change.
“I think we are celebrating women’s day internationally. We must continue to celebrate the women in our lives for their role and the role they continue to play and some of the challenges is today in the modern world.
“Distinguished senators, I believe that the times now are changing and have changed and we must ensure that the world we live in takes cognisance of that and that is why I think that it goes beyond passing the motion.
“I think as lawmakers we must play our role on the issue of abduction of girls that is happening in our country, we must take it as an agenda of this 8th Senate, prevention and even when they do arise to see that we play our role to see particularly that talks about the Chibok girls that are still there. We must continue and not give up in seeing we bring to the recovery and release of the girls.
“The second issue that is burning is the issue of girl child marriage. It is us here in the chamber that we can play our own role just beyond today in ensuring that we put the right thing done and in particular violence to girls and women. This is an area that we must come out with laws that will help to reduce this issue. Another important area is the issue of governance without law and without us consciously making an effort I do not believe that we would be able to increase women participation in government.”