Constitution Amendment: Nigerian Speaker Advocates for Equal Citizenship Rights for Foreign Spouses of Nigerian Women

The Speaker of the House, Mr. Abbas Tajudeen, wants men married to Nigerian women to have the same rights as others in Nigeria.

Mr. Abbas shared his thoughts on this at a big meeting about changing the rules in Nigeria to make life fairer for women. This meeting happened on Monday.

The event was set up by a group in the House that looks at making changes to the laws. This was confirmed by Musa Abdullahi Krishi, who helps Mr. Abbas with media and news.

Changing the Rules 

Right now, a part of the law says the president can make a foreign woman a citizen if she’s married to a Nigerian man.

• But this law doesn’t help foreign men married to Nigerian women.
• Mr. Abbas says that leaders should make fair rules for everyone.
• He asked the group working on the rules to think about giving women more chances and special seats in the government.

“We should work to make elections fair and give rights to foreign men married to Nigerian women,” he said. 

He believes everyone should help make these changes happen, not just talk about them.

“We need to turn today’s talks into real actions,” he mentioned. 

Why This Matters 

Mr. Abbas believes that if women have more power, the country can grow stronger economically.

He said studies show women in leadership help countries and organizations grow better.

Mr. Abbas said: “We want Nigerian women, an important part of our country’s life, to have a big role in how we run things. Supporting women is not only right but smart for the economy.

“Women have unique ideas that are important for things like health and money, helping to make rules that touch many lives. A report from McKinsey shows that if we close the gap between men and women, we can add $12 trillion to the world’s money by 2025. This shows how important it is to involve women. More women in power isn’t just nice; it’s necessary for the country to grow well.”

“In many parts of the world, especially Africa, women are getting more power. For example, Rwanda has most of its parliament made up of women and shows that strong policies pay off. 

South Africa, Namibia, and Senegal are also working hard to include women in politics, and Nigeria can learn from them. These countries show how women’s thoughts make a big difference in leadership and development.”

He noted that since 1999, only 20 out of the 469 seats in Nigeria have been filled by women.

“This big difference doesn’t mean we don’t have smart women, but it means we have barriers that need breaking,” he said. 

• He encouraged leaders to help change the country by improving the law-making process during this review.
• Many important people joined the meeting: leaders from the National Assembly, ministers, women party leaders, groups caring about gender issues, ambassadors, and more.