The house of representatives has
rejected a bill seeking to grant leave to married men in advent of child birth
by their wives.
The bill aims to provide for an
act to make provisions for optional paternity leave to all married male
employees in private and public sectors.
Lagos and Enugu states are among
the few states in the country that have legal backing for such leave, with some
giving as much as 21 days.
It failed to scale through second
reading when called up during plenary on Thursday.
Edward Pwajok, a Plateau state
lawmaker who sponsored the bill, argued that the idea that only women care for
children is “outdated”.
He added that nations such as
Denmark, UK, Iceland, Australia have all made progress partly because of their
recognition of the role of men in the upbringing of children.
“As father’s share of parenting
is on the increase, they experience similar challenges with women, such as
their jobs and family duties clashing,” he said.
“Making provision for maternity
leave without provision for maternity leave is discriminatory against men.”
Most of the lawmakers who
contributed to the debate on the bill described it as “unnecessary.”
Kingsley Chinda from Rivers state
argued that both men and women go through different forms of pains in life.
He also said the bill did not
reflect the needs of Nigerians.
“What is the spirit behind the
labour law? I think that this bill should be thrown out,” he added.
Nkem Uzoma-Abonta from Abia state
however supported the bill, saying it is long overdue.
But the lawmakers voted against
second reading for the bill.
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