Nigeria is under renewed pressure to improve its dismal record on female political participation as the House of Representatives, alongside civil society groups, advocates for 182 constitutionally guaranteed seats for women at both federal and state legislative levels.
At a media briefing in Abuja, the House of Representatives teamed up with the TOS Foundation and the National Secretariat for the Reserved Seats for Women Bill Campaign Coalition to stress that Nigeria cannot continue to call itself the “Giant of Africa” while ranking 184th worldwide in female parliamentary representation.
If the Reserved Seats for Women Bill is approved in the constitutional amendment vote scheduled for 16 December, the National Assembly will expand to 543 members, creating 74 new seats exclusively for women — split evenly with 37 additional positions each in the Senate and House of Representatives. Additionally, 108 seats will be set aside for women in State Houses of Assembly.
House spokesperson and bill co-sponsor, Hon. Akin Rotimi, described the proposal as a long-awaited step to correct decades of systematic exclusion.
“The time has come to right the inequality faced by Nigerian women,” Rotimi said, urging legislators to view the reform as a democratic imperative rather than a political favour.
Chief Osasu Igbinedion Ogwuche, convener of the coalition and founder of the TOS Foundation, delivered an impassioned message highlighting Nigeria’s global credibility at stake.
“We cannot claim the title ‘Giant of Africa’ while performing so poorly on women’s representation. Smaller, war-torn nations are doing better,” she remarked, recalling a recent conversation with South Sudan’s Parliamentary Speaker.
She pointed out that women make up 49% of Nigeria’s population and 47% of registered voters but hold less than 5% of elective offices.
“It is humiliating. Women have rebuilt countries devastated by war — so why are we still struggling for space at the decision-making table?” she asked.
Ogwuche also called on journalists to intensify media coverage of the bill, emphasising the crucial role of the press in shaping public opinion and influencing policy.
During a technical presentation, Special Adviser to the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Chidozie Aja, explained that even with the addition of 74 reserved seats, women’s representation would only rise to 13.6%, still far below international benchmarks.
He stressed that the legislation is not about tokenism but a temporary structural fix designed to redress entrenched gender inequality.
“The reserved seats will supplement, not replace, existing ones, and political parties will be required to field only female candidates for these seats,” Aja added.
The temporary provision would last four election cycles (16 years) and involves amendments to several constitutional sections, including 48, 49, 71, 91, 117, and the recently revised Section 42, to permit Temporary Special Measures (TSM).
Addressing the media’s role, Mrs. Adaora Sidney-Jack of AIT urged journalists to avoid narratives that marginalise or silence women.
“This bill is a policy instrument, not a sensational story. Report it fairly, with thorough research and context, and free of gender bias,” she said, warning that misleading headlines can distort public perception and weaken women’s leadership prospects.
