By Sadiq Hussain/Perpetua Onuegbu
Abuja: The House of Representatives and Policy Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC) on Monday called for a bill to promote gender parity in governance and other sectors of the economy.
Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, made this known at an International Legislative Dialogue on Women and Constitutional Amendment in Nigeria, in Abuja.
The dialogue was organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, in PLAC and support from the European Union in Nigeria.
“Our gathering today serves as a real affirmation of our collective dedication to advancing women’s political representation and inclusion, and the pursuit of the fairer, more inclusive Nigeria today.
“It is essential to understand the scale and urgency of this issue that, from the recent 2025 general elections, highlights the scope of this challenge,” he said.
Kalu recalled that 18 political parties fielded 15,307 candidates in the elections, out of whom only 1,552 were women.
“This sharp contrast is not just the statistics.
It is a stark reminder of the societal, structural and political barriers that continue to inhibit women’s full participation in our democracy,” he said.
The deputy speaker stated that countries that had successfully integrated women into decision-making roles, experienced gains and innovative collaboration across sectors and notably economic growth.
Kalu said that in some African countries, cooperative insights from Rwanda, Tanzania and Senegal indicated the transformative benefits of gender parity in government leadership that Nigeria could emulate.
“For instance, reports indicate that Nigeria can potentially achieve a nine per cent increase in GDP by 2025 with significant improvement in women’s participation across all sectors.
“Therefore, investing in women’s leadership, particularly within the political sphere, carries immeasurable and far-reaching benefits that we cannot afford to always overlook.
“Recognising these benefits, the house of representatives has made constitutional reform a cornerstone of its legislative agenda.
“We have proposed bills aimed at correcting the gender imbalance within governments at all levels,” Kalu said.
On his part, the Executive Director, PLAC, Mr Clement Nwankwo, stressed the need for Nigeria to harness the important resources that women had brought into governance.
“Our women are very resourceful; our women are very educated, and our women always make a difference when they’re in the room.
“So it is an important time for all of us to put aside our prejudices. It is an important time for us to put away our biases against women and ensure that we do make a statement,” Nwankwo said.
Also speaking at the occasion, the First Lady, Sen.Oluremi Tinubu, said Nigerian women were still struggling to find their pride of place in politics and governance.
According to her, some states like Kwara have implemented the 35 per cent women inclusion bill, expressing the hope that other states would toe the same line in the nearest future.
“Some gains were recorded in women’s representation in state houses of assembly membership during the last election cycle, particularly in states like Kwara where we had five and, I think, Ekiti had six.
“This was, however, not the case at the current 10th National Assembly, as only four women were voted into the Senate out of the 109 total members, while the House of Representatives has only 16 women out of a total of 360 members.
“This development gives credence to the propriety of today’s gathering, as it affords us the opportunity to discuss responsive approaches to enhancing political inclusion and participation of women in the country,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first lady was represented at the occasion by Prof. Olufolake Abdulrazaq, wife of Kwara Governor and Chairperson of Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum.
NAN also reports that one such critical bills will be for an act to offer provisions for a seat reservation for women in the national and state assemblies.
A total of 1,349 bills, alongside the four gender justice bills, are under consideration, designed to remedy the low representation of women by creating additional seats specifically for female candidates in national and state legislatures.
NAN also reports that the bill reflects a pragmatic approach by proposing a temporary measure to fast track women’s representation in governance.
The reserve seats are not a permanent fix but structured as a temporary measure, subject to review after four general election circles or 16 years.(NAN) (www.nanews.ng)
PUO/WAS
