Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - Efforts to enhance women’s representation in Nigeria’s political landscape received a major boost on Monday as lawmakers, gender advocates, and civil society actors rallied support for the Reserved Seats for Women Bill.
The bill, a constitutional amendment proposal, seeks to
create additional seats for women in the national and state legislatures.
At a press conference held in Abuja, the Convener of the
campaign, Osasu Igbinedion-Oguche, said the initiative had secured backing from
the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly, the Nigeria
Governors’ Forum, and the Forum of Governors’ Spouses, as well as broad-based
support across political, religious, and regional lines.
She disclosed that over 10 million Nigerians had been
mobilised across the 36 states and the FCT in what she described as the largest
bipartisan grassroots movement for a single constitutional amendment in the
country’s history.
“This campaign is more than a bill. It’s a blueprint,” she
said. “Legislation does not pass by applause, it passes by pressure, precision,
and presence.”
According to her, the campaign is not just about women’s
rights but about national development.
“This is not a women’s issue. It’s a nation-building
imperative, because when countries invest in women’s political leadership, they
gain stronger economies, safer communities, and more resilient democracies.”
The bill, officially known as House Bill 1349, proposes the
creation of 37 additional seats each in the Senate and House of
Representatives, along with three extra seats per state in state Houses of
Assembly, to be exclusively contested by women.
The legislation is expected to come up for a third reading
at the National Assembly in October, after which it would proceed to the state
legislatures and then to the President for assent.
Mrs Igbinedion-Oguche noted that women currently occupy less than five per cent of elective offices at the federal level, a development she described as a democratic shortfall.
“A nation that sidelines its women is negotiating with one hand tied behind
its back,” she said.
She added that the cost of implementing the bill would be
marginal when compared to the long-term benefits.
“We have done the math. The cost implication of passing this
bill and adding new seats to accommodate women is less than one per cent of the
national budget, and for that one per cent, what we gain is immeasurable:
balanced governance, inclusive policies, and a reimagining of what leadership
can look like.”
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President
on Community Engagement (North Central), Abiodun Essiet, said the conversation
must shift from merit to equity.
“Women have never lacked merit. What we have lacked is
access,” she said.
“Women will still contest for general seats, but the bill
gives us a fighting chance. This is not about charity, it’s about fairness.”
Ms Essiet argued that the bill creates a more level playing
field, without restricting women to reserved positions alone.
Responding to a question about grassroots ownership of the
bill, Mrs Igbinedion-Oguche maintained that the campaign was structured from
the ground up.
“We have structures in all 36 states and the FCT, with zonal
coordinators engaging directly with market women, farmers, entrepreneurs. This
bill is as much for them as it is for women in Abuja.”
She said the public hearings recently conducted—six by the
Senate and 12 by the House—are key milestones in integrating the bill into the
ongoing constitutional review process.
On concerns about cost, she reiterated that the proposed
additional seats would increase the national budget by only one per cent.
“One per cent is nothing compared to what we lose when women
are excluded from governance. We cannot continue to leave half of our brains
behind and expect to compete globally.”
Also speaking, Joy Akut, Special Assistant on Youth and
Women Affairs to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin
Kalu, said male allies are playing a visible role in the advocacy.
She said the Deputy Speaker, who chairs the House
Constitution Review Committee, is among those championing the bill.
“We cannot continue to make laws that affect half of our
population without their voices at the table. Only a woman can tell you where
it hurts and this is about bringing women into the room where decisions are
made.”
In his remarks, Elisha Attai, Regional Director of Civil
Society Organisations at ECOWAS, hailed the involvement of male political
leaders.
“It’s no longer men supporting women behind closed doors.
They are now standing up and showing their faces,” he said.
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