Dear Active Citizens,
The Nigerian government at federal, state, and local levels has consistently demonstrated disdain for its citizens.
The disregard for citizens showed up again last week when the male-dominated National Assembly, Nigeria’s Parliament, voted on constitutional amendments. They voted as follows:
1. Denied Nigerians in the diaspora the right to vote. This is despite the much favoured and needed remittances. Nigerians in the diaspora remitted $17.2 billion (seventeen billion dollars) in 2020 and the World Bank has projected the 2021 figure to be $17.6 billion! {Failed in both chambers}.
2. Denied citizenship to the foreign-born husband of a Nigerian woman. However, a Nigerian man’s foreign-born wife gets automatic citizenship. {Senate – Passed | HOR – Failed}.
3. Denied women the ability to take indigeneship of their husband’s state after 5 years of being together. This amendment is intended to address the injustice women who marry outside their states of origin face as they are unable to benefit from certain rights relating to employment, education, appointment, and election into a political and public office. {Senate – Passed | HOR – Failed}.