The Deputy National Leader of the Northern Elders Forum, Paul Unongo, has expressed his displeasure over the recent rejection of the Gender Equality Bill by the Senate.
Some northern senators had opposed the bill on the grounds that it was against the tenets of Islam.
Unongo, who spoke with our correspondent in an interview on Thursday, however, said the rejection of the bill was a major setback in the advocacy for women’s rights.
According to the NEF leader, there is nothing in Christianity and Islam that is against the empowerment of women and creating opportunities for them.
The former minister told our correspondent that there were plans to convince the northern senators to consider the bill because it would empower Nigerian women.
Unongo said, “I am planning a meeting with the northern senators in Abuja to enable them see the reason why they shouldn’t quash the bill. I do not believe that Islam is against giving more opportunities for women and enhance their performance.
“I also think that it is a wrong interpretation of the bible that women are inferior or do not deserve to have equal rights as men. My judgment as an elder is that the bill should be reconsidered.
“Some women have demonstrated courage and capacity to handle complex problems and have performed more than their male counterparts in some cases.”
On the ongoing economic summit convened by President Muhammadu Buhari, Unongo said it was a right step to reposition the Nigerian economy.
He said the dwindling oil prices and the fall of the naira presented an opportunity for the country to address the dependence on oil revenues.
Unongo advised delegates at the summit to focus on tackling youth unemployment and creating an enabling environment for industrial growth.
He said, “The dependence on oil revenues has blinded us to opportunities and our true potential as a nation. In the North for instance, land is the region’s asset. If we make agriculture more attractive, this would help to address the problems of youth unemployment.”
