Ali Abare, Gombe
The UN Women is seeking for the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities for all Persons Bill in Gombe State latest June this year when its activities in the state would terminate.
The Technical Advisor of the UN Women in Gombe State, Mrs Rhoda Zira-Dia, made the call while speaking during a two-day review meeting of the state Gender Committee organized in collaboration with the Gombe State Ministry of Women Affairs.
Mrs Zira-Dia while emphasizing on the need to fast track the passage of the gender equality bill, stressed the need for members of the various committees to work hard to ensure that the bill was passed before the end of the UN Women Project in Gombe by June this year.
She added that the passage of the bill would determine the renewed presence of the UN Women in the state.
In his address at the event,  Permanent Secretary of at Ministry for Women Affairs, Ishaku Mohammed, said the proposed Gender and Equal Opportunities would promote and enhance healthy coexistence and partnership between men and women towards effective service delivery. 
Mohammed dispelled fears that the bill, if passed into law, would give room for women to rub shoulders with their male counterparts, but that it would only create space for women to have equal chances with their male counterparts in terms of access to services, opportunities and societal resources for sustainable development.
He said the purpose of the review meeting was to look over and to brush up the content of the Gender and Equal Opportunities for All Persons Bill as well as to strategize ways to facilitate its passage in Gombe State.
While appreciating the effort made by the committee members who he said, have been concurrently engaged in reviewing the bill, the permanent secretary disclosed that so far, “the bill has made reasonable progress in the right direction.” 
“After a series of sensitization and engagement with line stakeholders, I’m happy to inform the committee members that the bill is now with members of the executive council for their rightful inputs for onward presentation before the state House of Assembly,” he said.
Mohammed further disclosed that it was expected that at end of the review meeting, committee members would each get the final draft of the bill alongside the work plan detailing the next steps to be taken to fast-track the passage of the bill.