The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) has urged the National Assembly to pass the proposed Reserved Seats Bill for women as part of measures to address the persistent under-representation of women in Nigeria’s political institutions.
The organisation said existing political structures had failed to produce adequate representation of women, who account for about half of the country’s population, making deliberate constitutional and institutional interventions necessary.
The Founding Executive Director of Centre LSD and Project Director of the Women Can Lead Project, Dr Otive Igbuzor, made the call in Abuja on Tuesday during a press conference held as part of a Gender Mainstreaming Training for Gender Desk Officers, faith and traditional leaders, and women’s rights organisations.
Igbuzor said the low number of women contesting elective positions should not be viewed as evidence of a lack of interest or capacity. He attributed the situation to longstanding economic, institutional, historical and socio-cultural barriers that have restricted women’s access to political leadership.
He said women had experienced economic marginalisation for generations, while social norms had continued to reinforce the perception that women belonged primarily in domestic roles rather than positions of leadership.
He therefore called for a political environment that would provide a level playing field for women seeking elective office, with political parties, communities and other institutions taking responsibility for removing barriers to participation.
Igbuzor also urged the National Assembly to take responsibility for the passage of the Reserved Seats Bill, saying special or reserved legislative seats could provide women with greater access to elected positions.
He called on the media to sustain public attention on the legislation by regularly monitoring and reporting developments surrounding the bill.
According to him, Nigeria can learn from countries that have used constitutional and institutional mechanisms to improve women’s representation, noting that women in many countries historically gained voting rights and political participation later than men.
He also cautioned against placing the responsibility for poor female representation solely on women by questioning why more women were not seeking presidential or governorship positions, arguing that attention should instead be directed towards the structures that make political participation difficult.
The Centre LSD’s advocacy comes alongside the launch of its 24-month Women Can Lead Project, supported by the Ford Foundation and aimed at strengthening women’s participation, leadership and influence in governance and public life.
The project will be implemented in Benue State, Kano State and the Federal Capital Territory, with a focus on gender mainstreaming, meaningful inclusion of women in governance and feminist strategies for preventing gender-based violence.
Under the initiative, Centre LSD will train Gender Desk Officers and other relevant actors in Ministries, Departments and Agencies on integrating gender considerations into policies, programmes, planning, budgeting and decision-making.
The organisation will also establish an Intersectional Women’s Leadership and Governance Incubator to support women from diverse backgrounds, including young women, rural women and women with disabilities, through mentorship, peer learning and networking.
Community Social Norms Labs will also be established to bring together women, men, young people, traditional and religious leaders and other community actors to examine beliefs and practices that perpetuate inequality and gender-based violence and develop positive alternatives.
Igbuzor urged men and boys to become active allies in promoting equitable families, institutions and communities, while calling on traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to challenge harmful practices.
He said the project was designed to address structural, institutional, economic and socio-cultural barriers limiting women’s participation and influence in decision-making.
The organisation said the broader objective was to build stronger institutions, women’s leadership networks and accountability mechanisms while changing community norms in ways that could sustain progress beyond the 24-month project.
Discussion0