Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo, former Deputy Governor of Rivers State represents Rivers West Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly. Ipalibo, Chairman of the Upper Chamber’s Committee on Health, speaks with NASSNEWS on her legislative activities and national issues.
NASSNEWS: As the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, tell us the idea behind your bill on Maternity Leave.
BANIGO: I sponsored the bill because there was a need for us to address several issues relating to Maternity Leave and its implications for pregnant women and nursing mothers at the workplace. As a matter of fact, the Labour Act Bill, 2004 needed to be amended, because it did not provide adequate maternity leave for pregnant women and nursing mothers at the workplace. It tended to discriminate against them in a fashion, it tended to mitigate their abilities to work in a non-exclusive environment and to make them feel that they have fair treatment on their jobs.
So, for instance, the maternity leave, as we are proposing that it should be extended from six weeks to eight weeks for pregnant women, and also from six weeks to eight weeks for lactating mothers. And also, their related benefits used to be 50 per cent of their salaries to be paid to them during the course of their maternity leave, but we think that’s unfair, they should be paid 100 per cent. This is because that gives them some kind of freedom, economically, so that while they are on maternity leave, they can also be a bit economically empowered.
This is a positive for Safe Motherhood Initiative because it enables them to take time off, recover from delivery, breastfeed properly, and bond very well with their newborns. This has positive outcomes for maternal rates and infant rates, and health outcomes is very positive. So we believe that in sponsoring this bill, it addresses the issue of discrimination against pregnant women, and nursing employees in the workplace.
You know, we need to acknowledge and support the fact that our pregnant women and nursing mothers have their own unique needs in the workplace, and by supporting them, and enabling them to be able to balance their work and family responsibilities without being afraid that they will be unfairly treated, being paid half their salary, and all that, it will help to increase gender equality, it will help to increase inclusiveness in the workplace, and it will promote better working conditions all round, these are some of the reasons why I’m supporting this bill. And also, to note that it falls in line with International Labour Standards and Nigeria being a signatory to the International Labour Organisation. It will put Nigeria on a good footing internationally that we are following the Labour rules on maternity and related benefits.
NASSNEWS: What is the implication of this bill? How would this bill affect your constituency and nation?
BANIGO: My constituency and the rest of the nation will be positively affected because women form a very large percentage of our population and women have the unique role of being mothers, of bearing children. Many of them also have the opportunity to contribute to the nation’s economy in the various jobs that they do in the public service sector.
So, this will help to remove all those hindrances that will keep them from wanting to be workers and be mothers at the same time. So, it engenders inclusiveness, and it also improves productivity all around, for my constituents and generally for the whole country.
NASSNEWS: Can you tell us the economic value of this bill?
BANIGO: Definitely, it will have economic value because when you provide a worker with the motivation, and the encouragement to give their best at their workplace, without fear of being discriminated against, because she’s pregnant. In the current arrangement, women are discriminated against, because they receive only half of their salary. When this happens, they will not put their best into the job, and all that. So, at the end of the day, it produces an environment for better working conditions for job satisfaction, and inclusiveness. It also removes any form of discrimination against the woman putting her best into her job, knowing that she’ll be appreciated for it and that she has the opportunity to give to the nation’s growth.
NASSNEWS: Are you optimistic that this Bill will be signed?
BANIGO: Yes, I am very positive. We were actually targeting it for the International Women’s Day. But it was on the first reading, soon after that day, we believe that a lot of people think that is the way to go and so by the time we have a second reading and we go for a public hearing, we expect that the public will come out and support this bill. No doubt, by the time it gets to the President, who is also a gender-sensitive President, He will see the need for this Bill to be assented to and made a law, to enable our women to give the best to the economy of this nation.
NASSNEWS: Currently, we are in very trying times in Nigeria. Are there any words of encouragement you could give to Nigerians at this moment?
BANIGO: Yes, it is true that we are in trying times, there are trying times all over the world, not only in Nigeria. But here in Nigeria, it has been quite difficult in the last few months. Already, we can see that there is a bit of a turnaround. And we believe that that trajectory will continue to improve upwards. I would advise us Nigerians not to lose hope, I will advise us that in these vital times, to do more on our budgets, to look at how we can prioritize those things that we need for now and those things are not really top priority, you can leave them off the budget, do some bit of financial education on it. And also, we encourage our people to continue to be part of advocacy for good stewardship, and accountability in governance for all sectors of our nation’s economy.
