Women Affairs Minister, party leaders mobilise final push for Special Seats Bill

Calls for stronger women’s representation in politics intensified in Abuja on Thursday as government officials, political party women leaders, and civil society groups gathered for a stakeholders roundtable ahead of the National Assembly vote on the Special Seats Bill.

The event which held in Abuja on Thursday, brought renewed urgency to the push for gender inclusion as speakers said Nigeria’s democracy cannot reach its full potential while women remain largely absent from decision making spaces.

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, minister of women affairs and social development, said the vote offers a defining moment for the country.

She reminded participants that Nigeria has more than one hundred and four million women, yet only twenty one women currently sit in the National Assembly.

“Four are in the senate. Seventeen are in the house of representatives. Only forty eight of nine hundred and ninety one state legislators are women. Thirteen state assemblies have no woman at all”

She described the imbalance as the result of long standing structural barriers. She said the Special Seats Bill provides a constitutional tool to fix the problem through temporary additional seats for women at national and state levels.

The minister linked the discussion to the ongoing global sixteen days of activism against gender based violence. She said inclusive governance is essential for effective policy making on issues that affect women and girls.

She also noted global milestones this year such as the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing declaration and the twenty fifth anniversary of the United Nations resolution thirteen twenty five.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended the tenth National Assembly leadership, especially speaker Tajudeen Abbas and deputy speaker Benjamin Kalu, for championing reforms that promote inclusion.

She also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, for placing women at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

She urged lawmakers to give Nigerian women “something to cheer about” as the country prepares for the seventieth session of the commission on the status of women.

Speaking on behalf of women leaders across the various political parties, Mary Alile Idele, delivered an equally strong message.

She said Nigeria’s low ranking in female representation places it far behind other African countries. She listed Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, and others that have achieved between forty and sixty percent female representation in parliament.

Read also: Group urge federal lawmakers to suport “Reserved Bill” to promote inclusive government

She said Nigeria’s four percent rate undermines its democracy. She described the Special Seats Bill as a necessary corrective measure that ensures women’s voices are included in shaping national laws.

She called on lawmakers, state governors, state assemblies, traditional rulers, civil society groups, youth, student leaders, and the media to back the bill. She urged the tenth National Assembly to achieve what the ninth could not. She said Nigerian women have waited sixty five years for equitable inclusion in governance.

She told lawmakers that this vote offers them the chance to “write their names in gold” by passing a bill that strengthens representation and fairness.

Women leaders across political parties closed with a united message. The time to pass the bill is now.

Ruth Tene, Assistant Editor, Agric/Solid Minerals/INEC

Ruth Tene is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years experience in developmental reporting across several newsrooms, as a reporter, editor and other managerial roles. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Maiduguri among several other certifications

She has attended several trainings and certifications both locally and internationally and has been recognized for her impactful work in humanitarian reporting, receiving the Gold Award for Humanitarian Services from the Amazing Grace Foundation. She is also a recipient of the Home Alliance Fellowship, reflecting her commitment to fostering a more humane, safer and more sustainable planet.

An active member of professional journalism bodies, Ruth is affiliated with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Agricultural Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), where she continues to advocate for excellence, ethical reporting, and development-focused journalism.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date