The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt.Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda has called for laws that would reflect the values, aspirations, and needs of all and not just a privileged few.
The first female speaker said this at a two-day Co Creation Workshop With Legislators on State Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bill, held on Friday in Lagos.
The event facilitated by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC, in collaboration with the Bauchi State Government, Women in Politics Forum, WIPF, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, and various donor agencies, including Canada Global Affairs and UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment for Women) had in attendance lawmakers across the country.
The legislators converged in Lagos to co create state equity bill for inclusion and diversity for women and other vulnerable groups.
Rt. Hon. Meranda acknowledged the critical role of legislation in shaping an equitable society.
According to her, “The responsibility before us is immense—we must ensure that our laws reflect the values, aspirations, and needs of all, not just a privileged few.
“The need for a comprehensive bill addressing inclusivity and diversity in Nigeria cannot be overstated.
She is of the view that such a bill will dismantle systemic inequalities, ensuring equal access to opportunities and resources, promote gender equality, creating a fairer society for women and girls, empower persons with disabilities, ensuring their full participation in social and economic life, bridge the economic divide, supporting low-income individuals through inclusive policies, foster social cohesion, promoting unity amidst Nigeria’s rich diversity, align Nigeria with global development goals, particularly the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
She urged other lawmakers to commit to effective implementation, adequate funding, and continuous monitoring to ensure that the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are fully realised.
In her words, “We must take concrete steps towards implementing actionable strategies to make diversity and inclusion a reality in governance and society.
To this end, “Providing necessary support and resources to ensure sustainability and impact, raising public awareness to educate citizens on the importance of inclusivity and equity,” is key to realising the bill.
Also speaking, the Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman urges for shared responsibility from the part of House of Assembly, civil society organisations, development partners and citizens.
According to him, “No single entity, especially the government, can solely carry the burden of enacting and enforcing the State Equity Bill. We all have a part to play.
“The passage of this bill will mark a new era of governance in our various States—one that prioritises justice, fairness, and inclusion. Let us seize this moment to rewrite the narrative and build a state where every individual, regardless of background or status, is empowered to contribute to our collective progress, he said.
“As Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, I reaffirm my commitment to ensuring that this bill is not just passed, but effectively implemented to improve the lives of our people.
“Together, we can create States where diversity is celebrated, equity is the norm, and inclusion is a standard, not an exception.”
The Founder, WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, in her welcome address highlighted that the meeting is set to adopt a home grown bill best suited for each state to ensure inclusion of vulnerable groups particularly women, poor men, and persons with disability.
Hoping that the event will build knowledge and share best practices for adoption and up scale as well as to enhance coordination between civil society groups and legislators on bills that can contribute to development and growth.
Representing their states include, Speaker, Ekiti State, Rt.Hon. Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye, Speaker, Gombe State House of Assembly Rt.Hon. Abubakar Muhammed Luggrrewo, Speaker, Jigawa State House of Assembly Rt.Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin,
Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly Rt.Hon. Moses Ije Odunwa, Speaker, Yobe State House of Assembly Rt.Hon. Buba Chiroma-Mashio, Deputy Speaker, Kaduna, Rt.Hon.Yusuf Liman Dahiru, among others.
