By Diana Omueza
The Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), has tasked Clerks at the 10th National Assembly to promote the National Gender Policy at the committee level for effective implementation.
Mrs Saudatu Mahdi, the Secretary General, WRAPA, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a Round Table discussion with NASS legislative clerks on the Revised National Gender Policy, 2021.
Represented by Mrs Yemisi Nathaniel, WRAPA Director of Programmes, she said the clerk ware the entry points to the principals and their roles cannot be undermined.
“We have worked with the clerks of the house before and we know the crucial roles they play and their roles cannot be undermined.
“This is because we also understand that the appropriations of budgets are done here and we believe that there are ways that they will understand the gender policies and will be able to guide the MDAs correctly.
“Especially in the course of performing their oversight functions as legislators and this is one of the reasons we came to engage with the clerks today,” she said.
She said that the group would continue to create awareness on the policy via social media, traditional media, door-to-door campaign, meetings with stakeholders and leaders of faith and culture at the grassroots, among others.
“We have engaged with different women groups across the country, farmers associations, networks within markets, we have reached everywhere and we would continue to create awareness.
“We also know that the traditional media in the North can go a long way especially with radio jingles that are translated in Northern languages; this is in other not to leave anyone behind.
“We have also done the simplified version of the National Gender Policy in the various languages, for now we have the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba versions and we are working to include other languages, she said.
Mrs Zainab Abdurasheed, the WRAPA Senior Programmes Officer, said there was need for the clerks to fully understand the policy, its aims and objectives in order to effectively advocate for its implementation.
‘’The clerks of the assembly played crucial roles in shaping bills and with proper understanding of the policy, advocacy would be easier.
“With adequate knowledge of the purpose of the policy, there would be better budget allocation for gender in the various government MDAs and adequate oversights on their policies, plans, programmes and projects,” she said.
Ms Blessing Anolaba, the Communications Officer at Accountability Lab Nigeria, commended the group for creating a platform to engage with critical stakeholders in NASS.
She said that the accountability lab was working with groups advocating for the implementation of the policy to ensure it was implemented.
In their collective response, the NASS clerks committed to promoting the policy at the various committees, but urged the group to intensify efforts at creating public awareness on the importance of the policy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there was not less than 13 clerks and their assistants/deputies at the meeting.(NAN)
