By our reporter| The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the government to comply with the 35% affirmative action for women, which allows women occupy 35% of all appointments.
According to the judgement delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo, the Federal Government had the obligation to implement the 35 per cent affirmative action, accusing past governments of acting in breach of international treaties on women participation in government.
Justice Okorowo added that the National Gender Policy is not merely a policy statement, but one that must be backed with requisite action on the part of the government.
He said the 35% affirmative action which entails appointive positions for women to ensure inclusivity must not be merely on paper as Nigeria is a signatory to international treaties, particularly on those entrenching the rights of women.
Reacting to the judgement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Mufuliat Fijabi said: “For us, this is a victory and we know that the government will acknowledge this and do the needful in terms of ensuring that we have a balanced system of governance that will bring about fast development for the country”.
Wednesday’s ruling marks a step closer to victory for women who had been pushing against the rejection of gender-related bills by lawmakers in the ongoing constitution review process.
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