Members of the House of
Representatives on Thursday balked at the idea of granting paternal leave to
Nigerian male workers.
The lawmakers said Nigerian
cultural and economic environment is not ripe for such privilege yet.
As a consequence, a Bill
for an Act to make provisions for optional paternity leave to all married male
employees in private and public service by Edward Pwajok (APC, Plateau)
subsequently failed to scale reading as it was roundly defeated with a
uninimous voice vote on the floor Thursday.
According to Pwajok, a
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) the proposal for a two or more week (depending
on the decision of the of House) paternity leave is to ensure that mother and
child get adequate assistance and care from the father.
He said the leave became
important if the mother or the child has health challenges which will make the
presence of the father very significant.
He also said that the
presence of the father will afford the child the care he or she deserved during
that early period.
“No better person can
support a newly born baby than the father which will make the child more
emotionally stable if the father stayed close.
“This will not be peculiar
to Nigeria alone, it’s done globally,” he added.
While Saheed Fijabi (APC,
Oyo), Nasir Ali (APC, Nassarawa) and Yusuf Tajudeen (PDP, Kogi) supported the
proposal ssying that since it is a joint responsibility to take care of the
child, the leave will afford the husband to take care of the child too.
On the other hand, Betty
Apiafi (PDP, Rivers) raised a technical challenge against the bill saying since
maternity leave issue was discussed in the Labour Act, it would have been
better it came as an amendment to the Act and not as a bill.
Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (PDP,
Abia), Rita Orji (PDP, Lagos), Nicholas Ossai ( PDP, Delta) and Kingsley Chinda
(PDP, Rivers) aligned with Apiafi that the amendment of the Labour Act would be
more appropriate.
According to the lawmakers,
the men should be out trying to provide for the upkeep of the family rather
than staying back at home.
They said the leave may
have a strain on the family if money is not attached to the leave.
They also wondered how many
times a man with six or seven wives would go on leave if the bill becomes law.
The motion was roundly
defeated in a voice vote.
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