Zamfara Speaker Mu’azu, Assures of Quick Passage of Bills to Provide 30% Appointments for Women, Ban Hawking
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
The Speaker, Zamfara State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya, has assured that the Bills to provide 30% appointments of women in education sector at all levels and a law banning hawking and begging during school hours in the state will receive adequate attention and quick passage as soon as the house resumes sitting.
High Level Women Advocates (HiLWA), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNCEF) had in the last administration started working with former members of of Assembly and technical team from Zamfara State Ministry of Justice to develop the two draft bills, which could not be passed because of complete change of government in the state.
The draft bills were developed to ensure that children have access to quality education and women have increased opportunities for being appointed in decision making positions in education sector in the state.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Kaduna on the sideline of a two day meeting with UNICEF and HILWA to acquaint the legislators with two pending bills and how it passage can be expedited, the Speaker, said the education sector have a hundred percent commitment of house because the has already declared emergency in the sector.
“Education already is our grand concern, so out commitment is already there. As soon as we return home we are going to sit together and liaise with the ministry of Justice to see how we can pass the Bills.
“Zamfara State Government has already declared state of emergency and we are going to ensure that every necessary steps are taking into consideration.” He said.
The Speaker expressed confidence that the Governor will not withhold executive accent to the Bills when he received them, saying “any government that declared state of emergency in education, there is no doubt that he will accent to the Bills. We believe the Governor will accent to them.”
He promised a robust oversight on all education policy in the state, adding “we are ever ready for oversights, not only in the education sector, but on all the sectors of government in the state.”
Also speaking, Chairperson of HilWA in the state Barrister Suwaiba Barau, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said based of their engagements with the house and their positive responses, they are hopeful that the Bills will be passed this time.
According to her, the house understands the importance of the bills and they know that education is very critical and they ready to ensure that every child in Zamfara is not left out.
She added that beyond the Bill, the advocacy group have a lots of other activities such as; community sensitization and mobilization and that they also engaging the legislators to get involved with their constituencies to make sure everybody is aware why his or her daughter should go to school.
“We also want to make sure that the members are part and parcel of the movement for making sure that all children are back to school. We have had tremendous support from our traditional rulers, religious leaders and almost all the stakeholders including UNICEF.” Barrister Suwaiba said.
