Watch video: Despite humiliation by security officials at NASS, Nigerian Women refuse to give up

By Lillian Okenwa

The protests of Nigerian women groups at the National Assembly took an ugly turn on Tuesday when security operatives prevented the women who had entered the premises from going outside the gate to buy either water or food.

Tuesday marked Day 10 of the Protest demanding that all 5 gender bills must be reconsidered!!!

The women are protesting lawmakers’ rejection of all women-related bills including the one seeking to give at least ten slots to women as ministers and commissioners in the federal and state governments failed at the upper legislative chamber.

On the morning of 2 March 2022, various women groups led by Feminists Womanifesto, gathered at the three-arm zone Abuja and marched to the National Assembly gate chanting songs of solidarity against the move by the lawmakers.

Strangely when some of the women who had gained access into the National Assembly grounds on Tuesday attempted to pass through the gate to go and buy food and drinks, they were prevented by security operatives

In the past 10 days, over 1,000 women occupied the National Assembly each day with more and more career women stopping by after work.

During one of the many workshops used to educate and foster engagement on the issue, Womanifesto representatives led by Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi made a presentation on the #NigerianWomenOccupyNASS Campaign at a UN Women meeting with other embassies and development partners in attendance. At the meeting, the representative of the Speaker of the House of Representatives appealed to the women to call off the protest which has interfered with their activities.

Young feminist advocates also engaged on Twitter/Instagram to provide information online on the protest and call on more people to join. The protest hashtag trended throughout the week reaching 17.4 million accounts on Twitter.