Skip to main content

Women group gives Melaye 3 days to apologise to Tinubu

Embattled Senator Melaye. He threatened to beat up a serving senator

Embattled Senator Melaye. He threatened to beat up a serving senator

The Women Advocacy Research and Development Centre (WARDC) on Thursday gave Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi State, three days to apologise to Senator Oluremi Tinubu over his verbal assault against the senator from Lagos central.

The women group threatened to occupy the National Assembly if Melaye failed to do so within three days.

The centre in a statement by its Coordinator, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi said the altercation between Tinubu who is the wife of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) “is another case to buttress the lackluster attitude to the issue of women’s human rights protection and gender equality in Nigeria”.

The non-governmental organization (NGO) which is at the vanguard of promoting women’s participation in politics said the confirmed verbal attack on Tinubu by Melaye became much more reprehensible at a time women participation in politics is at its lowest ebb in Nigeria.

Akioye-Afolabi also lamented the silence of the Senate and other Senators over the attack on Mrs. Tinubu even as she called on Melaye to tender an unreserved apology to the Lagos Senator within the next three days, saying she is not only representing her constituency in Lagos State “but also representing the almost half of Nigerian population- the female population”.

According to her, “Failure of Senator Dino Melaye to take this appropriate step will lead to OCCUPY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY by well meaning Nigerians”.

The statement read further, “Verbal abuse, assault and battery of women is becoming a pattern in our democratic dispensation and it is a reflection of the numerous abuses that women face on a daily basis in the society

“According to National Demographic and Health Survey Report (2013), 28 percent of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence at least once and 7 percent have experienced sexual violence in Nigeria and it is believed these figures are not representative of the magnitude of the problem.

“Between 2003 till date, notable women lawmakers have experienced physical and verbal abuse from men who are supposed to protect their rights. Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, was slapped by another Lawmaker at the National Assembly while another female lawmaker from Edo state was battered by an aide to an Immigration Oficer at the Assembly Complex earlier this year. Honourable Funmi Tejuoso was also physically assaulted at the Lagos State House of Assembly sometimes ago then this gender insecurity against Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

“Unfortunately, despite the public outcry against the security threat to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the senate and the APC have not yet responded to the matter. The silence on the matter by the Senate and other members of the National Assembly vividly explains a tacit support from the hallowed Chamber on violence against women.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...
Post a Comment
Read more