…Donates brand-new bus to association
The Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, CON, has called for a decisive shift from lawmaking to effective implementation of legislation aimed at protecting the rights of women and children in Nigeria.
Bamidele made the call on Monday while delivering a public lecture at the 2026 Law Week of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti State Branch, in Ado-Ekiti.
The lecture was themed, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children.”
According to the Senate Leader, the theme highlights the growing challenges confronting women and children in a rapidly changing world, where globalisation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, climate change and insecurity continue to create new threats to their safety, dignity and fundamental rights.
He noted that despite constitutional guarantees and existing legal frameworks, women still face domestic violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, harmful traditional practices and technology-facilitated abuse, while children remain vulnerable to exploitation, child labour, early marriage, trafficking and digital abuse.
Bamidele stressed the need for Nigeria to move beyond the enactment of laws to a comprehensive approach that combines legislative reforms, effective enforcement, institutional accountability and adequate funding.
He said justice must be accessible, affordable, timely and effective, stressing that victims of domestic violence and child abuse should be able to seek protection without intimidation or unnecessary barriers.
The Senate Leader also identified gender-based violence, economic inequality, inadequate representation of women in politics, poor healthcare access, digital exclusion, educational deprivation, malnutrition and insecurity-induced displacement as some of the major challenges requiring urgent attention.
On legislative interventions, Bamidele said the 10th National Assembly, under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, had made women’s inclusion a key component of its Legislative Agenda, in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He disclosed that the National Assembly was prioritising the Special Seats Bill for Women, which seeks to create 37 additional seats in the Senate, 37 in the House of Representatives and three seats in each State House of Assembly, reserved exclusively for women for an initial period of 16 years.
Bamidele described the proposed legislation as a constitutional corrective measure aimed at addressing women’s underrepresentation in political leadership and ensuring broader participation in democratic governance.
He added that the initiative had received the support of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, while the National Assembly was engaging State Houses of Assembly to secure the necessary concurrence for its passage.
The Senate Leader urged FIDA to strengthen its partnership with the legislature by monitoring the implementation of laws, advocating the release of appropriated funds for programmes benefiting women and children, and sustaining support for the passage of the Special Seats Bill.
In her welcome address, the Chairperson of FIDA Nigeria, Ekiti State Branch, Ayobami Olowoyo-Richards, Esq., described the theme as timely, considering emerging challenges threatening the safety, dignity and rights of women and children.
She reaffirmed the association’s commitment to protecting the rights of women and children through advocacy, legal representation and strategic partnerships.
Olowoyo-Richards also appreciated the sponsors, partners and members of the Law Week Planning Committee for their contributions towards the success of the programme.
The highlight of the event, which attracted traditional rulers, lawmakers, legal practitioners, academics, students and other stakeholders, was the presentation of a brand-new bus to FIDA Ekiti by Senator Bamidele to strengthen the association’s operations and support its activities.
