At least 183 women organisations have appealed to the Senate to extend the deadline for the submission of memoranda on the review of the 1999 Constitution for between 30 and 60 days.
The women in a letter addressed to the Deputy President and Chairman, Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, Ovie Omo-Agege, said the extension was necessary to allow civil society and other stakeholders reach out to their networks to make proper consultations capable of ensuring active and purposeful inputs to the constitutional review.
The document, which was obtained by newsmen yesterday in Abuja, was signed by the founding Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi; Chair, Gender and Constitutional Reform Network (GCRF); Executive Director, Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Prof. Joy Ezeilo and Executive Director, Women’s Rights Advocates Policy Advisory (WRAPA), Hajiya Saudatu.
The letter reads in part; “We the undersigned organisations humbly appeal for an extension of the deadline of the ‘call for Memoranda.’ We request that it be extended to between thirty to sixty days from the date of the publication of the memo.
“This is to enable us women groups, civil society and other stakeholders to reach out to our networks and make proper consultations to be able to contribute to the constitutional review actively and purposefully