Why women are shut out of politics

On the sidelines, a former member of the House of Representatives, Nnenna Ukeje, attributed the low participation of women in Nigerian politics to deep-rooted cultural biases, economic barriers, and structural dis-empowerment.

Drawing from personal experience, Ukeje illustrated how leadership is often culturally conferred on men from birth, regardless of merit. She recounted an incident from her family: “My father had two granddaughters who were five years older than my son and were already showing signs of growth. When my son was born five years later, my father walked into the hospital, took one look at him, and called him ‘leader of the pack.’ Leadership is conferred upon men whether or not they deserve it.”

Ukeje noted that the disparity extends to political offices, with women occupying less than six per cent of legislative positions. “With only 11 women in the National Assembly and some states having zero women, the picture of leadership wears a pair of trousers. Nigerians are socialised to believe that leadership is male, forgetting that historically we had strong women leaders,” she said.

She also highlighted the prohibitive cost of elections, arguing that the system structurally disadvantages women and limits the pool of female leadership. “The leaky pipeline between women who aspire to run and those who succeed is dramatic,” she said.

The dialogue also raised concerns over the proposed relocation of Nigeria’s gold refinery to Lagos. Mallam Umar Faruq questioned the absence of similar facilities in the North, arguing that such disparities weaken public trust in governance. In response, Dare said the refinery is a private investment, noting that the government did not determine its location and licences were issued in line with regulations.

Other participants highlighted governance failures in education and security, linking corruption and mismanagement to declining national cohesion and institutional credibility.

Queenet Anthony stressed that political, cultural, and legal obstacles continue to stall the Special Seats Bill for women.

The dialogue emphasised that strengthening democracy goes beyond election cycles, requiring accountable institutions, inclusive governance, and active citizen engagement.

The Director-General and CEO of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Comrade Issa Aremu, commended Daily Trust for sustaining the Dialogue series for 23 consecutive years, describing it as a model of institutional consistency that contributes to national development.

“For Daily Trust to keep faith with 23 editions of its Dialogue is highly commendable. We shouldn’t take this for granted,” he said.

Similarly, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, commended the Media Trust Group for moving from a regional newspaper to a national newspaper

While speaking on the theme of the dialogue, he said, “The topic is gratifying because we in APC at the end of the day will sieve the opinions of Nigerians on what is working and what is not working.”

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