Battle for Senate: How female Senators fared in the sixth Senate
*Senators Chris Anyanwu, Iyabo-Obasanjo and Grace Bent
BY INALEGWU SHAIBU
EVEN though they constitute the smallest unit in the sixth National Assembly, the eight surviving female Senators of the Senator David Mark led Senate are giving their male counterparts a run for their monies when it comes to legislative businesses.
From bills and motion sponsored to Committee works and contributions to debate, the female Senators have not been weigh down by the fact that they are operating in a male dominated Senate, which is a testament to why five out of the six women seeking another term in the Senate, are Chairmen of Senate standing Committees.
Their active roles in Senate proceedings has demonstrated to keen watchers of the National Assembly that the much sought after 35 percent affirmative action for women is after all possible and apt. And when it finally comes, the women won’t be riding on the back of sentiments, but hard work to get more female representations in political offices across the land.
And having done so well for their themselves as legislators and most importantly, for their respective constituents, it is most justifiable that six of the female Senators have gotten the nod of their people to again represent them at the Senate after the April elections.
The Senators seeking another term are Nkechi Nwaogu, Chris Anyanwu, Patricia Akwashiki, Grace Bent, Zainab Kure and Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello.
Nkechi Nwaogu (PDP, Abia Central)
Heading the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions is Senator Nkechi Nwoagu, PDP, Abia Central. Senator Nwoagu is also a member of other Senate standing Committees including the Constitution Review Committee which recently succeeded in amending the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
As Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Senator Nkechi has carried out her duties with great aplomb and successes that has left many followers of the Senate in awe.
Her Committee has perform the duties of over sighting agencies like the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC and a host of others creditably. Her most notable contribution in this dispensation is sponsoring a bill that gave birth to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, with the primary mandate to buy off toxic bank asset thereby creating stability in the Nigerian banking sector.
Her Committee has also done well in ensuring the Passage of the 2008 and 2009 annual budget of National Insurance Commission and National Board for Community Banks, and the restoration of the banking licenses to Societe Generale Bank of Nig. Ltd. and Savannah Bank Nig. Ltd.
Other legislative activities of Senator Nwaogu include the sponsoring of the National Unity and Peace Corp (Establishment) Bill 2009 and the Public Borrowing Act Amendment Bill 2009. Both bills have scaled through first reading at the Senate.
Another bill to her credit is the Establishment of E-Payment Bill 2009. Besides bills, Senator Nkechi has sponsored the following motions: Management of Dormant Accounts and its Disclosure in Banks Books and Over_enrolment in the Nigeria Universities.
Outside the legislature, Senator Nwaogu is very much alive in her constituency. She has attracted many MDG projects to her constituency. Presently, she has built and constructed Six Classroom block and motorised water borehole in each of the six council areas in her constituency.
The Senator also launched a Three Point Agenda namely; Interest Free Micro Credit Scheme, Tertiary Institutions Scholarship Scheme and Skills Acquisition Scheme targeted at brining succour to the poor in her zone. In January 2010, she increased the number of beneficiaries of scholarship scheme to 50 including physically challenged undergraduate from her senatorial zone.
Senator Chris Anyanwu, APGA, Imo North
Even though the erudite Journalist, Senator Christy Anyanwu lost out in the Peoples Democratic Parties, PDP, National Assembly primaries in her zone, she is nonetheless one of the most brilliant and outstanding female Senators in this dispensation. Senator Anyanwu who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology has been endorsed by the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, to run for the Senate in 2011.
She is an active member of many standing committees in the Senate such as Women and Youth, Millennium Development Goals, States and Local Government, Environment, Defence and Army and Health.
Senator Anyanwu has sponsored and co-sponsored several Bills and seven motions in her first term at the Senate. The bills are Occupational Health and Safety and a bill to Criminalise and Punish Discrimination and Segregation against Nigerians.
Senator Zainab Kure, PDP, Niger North
Senator Kure, a former first lady in Niger state is a leading light among female Senators in the sixth Senate. She is the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Planning, Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. She also belongs to other standing Committee that includes, Capital Markets, Agriculture, Information and Media, Women and Foreign Affairs.
Her legislative contributions is immense most especially as she pride herself is one of the few Senators whose focus is to ensure that Nigerian youths are empowered, politically, economically and socially.
Bills to her credits includes the National Grazing Reserves(establishment& development) Bill,2008, the National Poverty Eradication Commission (establishment, etc) Bill,2008(SB.186); the National Commission for the Eradication of Child Destitution in Nigeria; the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYEPADEC) Bill; the Prohibit and Punish Public Nudity, Sexual Intimidation and Other Related Offences in Nigeria Bill; the Chartered Institute of Capital Market Registrars Bill to Regulate and Control the Practice of Share Registration; Public Records & Information Bill; and the protection of personal privacy Bill.
Back home, Senator Kure has carried on with her duties as a true representative of her people by influencing the location of several projects in her senatorial district. The establishment of the N9.2 million Rural Water Supply Scheme in three local government areas; Dikko-Edati, Gupa-Lapai and Kansanagi-Katcha are testimonies of her desire to contribute to the growth of her Senatorial district. Besides she was said to have supplied medical equipment and furniture to health centres at Baro-Agaie, Lemu-Gbako, Baddegi-Katcha, Kutigi-Lavun, Gbara-Mokwa and Ebbo-Lapai Local Government Areas to improve health care deliveries in her Senatorial District.
Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, Ogun Central
Senator Obasanjo- Bello who is another female Senator that got her re_election bid back on track through the court is a chief campaigner for better health for Nigerians. She heads the Senate Committee on Health and a member of several other Senate standing Committees.
Senator Obasanjo Bello has sponsored and co-sponsored many bills notably bills seeking to improve the health sector. One of such bill is the National Health Bill, 2008 and the tobacco control bill which has been passed by the Senate.
Obasanjo-Bello who is a vibrant participant during debate has sponsored other bills such as Nigerian College of Medical Physics Bill, 2008, which has passed through second reading. Emergency Medical Rights bill, 2007, which has been read once at plenary and National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2008, which has also scaled first reading. She also has to her credit the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Amendment) Bill, 2008, and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Act (Amendment) Bill, 2008 which has all scaled through the first reading at the Senate.
Patricia N. Akwashiki, PDP, Nasarawa North
Although she came to the sixth Senate via the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), but now a member of the PDP, Senator Akwashiki popularly called the Gimbia of the Senate is not one to be out done when it comes to legislative businesses.
Senator Akwashiki who is one of the most punctual Senators in this dispensation is an active participant in Senate proceedings and Committee works. Her commitment to work is the reason why she is today a member of many standing committees of the Senate.
She is in the Committee on States and Local Government, Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Communications, Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions as well as Women and Youth.
Besides co-sponsoring other bills and motion, Senator Akwashiki was the brain behind the bill that sought to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Grace Bent, PDP, Adamawa South.
Senator Grace Bent who has gotten her re-election bid on track through the court heads the Senate Committee on Environment. Senator Bent known for her flamboyancy both is speech and attire remain one of the most outstanding female Senators in the sixth Senate.
Her voice can always be heard in the Senate most especially when it come to the issues of environment and women liberation. As an apostle of climate change and clean environment, Senator Bent through her Committee has made several tangible contributions geared at making the Nigerian environment safer and cleaner. She has also sponsored and co-sponsored several bills and motion which aimed at liberating women and the vulnerable groups.
Bent is well known in her Adamawa South Senatorial District, through her constituency works and attraction of project for the development of her zone.
