Asaba – Edo state government have called for increase participation of women and vulnerable groups in governance.

State house of assembly speaker, Marcus Onobun made the call on Wednesday at the South South zonal public hearing on the proposed alterations of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended, at Grand Hotel Asaba, Delta State.

Onobun who presented the state’s position to the Senator Ovie Omo-agege-led constitutional review committee, recommended that section 14 (3) of the constitution should be amended to consider gender balance in the appointment of persons into offices.

According to the section 14. 3 “the composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.”

The speaker further called for gender neutrality to be enshrined in the constitution, recommending that “he or she should be replaced with person”.

In her presentation, Chairperson of Edo State chapter of Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Ann Ojugo called for the domestication of laws that protects the rights of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in Nigeria.

She recommended that social security should be made available for members of the disability community that are affected with disabling conditions that retard them from helping themselves.

Other groups from the south south states of Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo that converged at the Asaba centre, which included the Benin National Congress (BNC) also gave their presentations at the 2-Day public hearing organised by the Senate.

Meanwhile, chairman of the constitutional review committee and deputy senate president was represented at the Wednesday hearing, by senator James Manager.