Women should participate in Nigeria’s governance – House of Rep

To bridge the gender gaps in governance across Nigeria, the House of Representatives has advocated for gender-sensitive policies that ensure women are accorded equal rights as men in decision-making in the country.

According to the lawmakers, addressing systemic barriers hindering women’s participation in politics is crucial to increasing women’s representation in public offices. 

The Speaker House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, stated this during the international legislative dialogue on women and constitution amendment in Nigeria on Monday.

Emphasizing the importance of diverse representation in decision-making, Abbas stated only 20 women occupy the 456 seats in the national assembly which he said is “disheartening,”.

The Speaker added that he has directed the constitutional review committee to focus on reforms that promote gender equality and provide additional seats for women in legislative houses.

” As lawmakers, we are responsible for advancing policies that reflect the value of fairness and equity, I am proud to state that this 10th house has prioritized inclusivity in our legislative agenda,” he said.

Abbas, who emphasized the importance of women’s participation in governance, stressed that policies promoting women’s representation in public offices align with democratic principles.

The lawmaker noted that the African Union and other international organizations also support the move to address historical inequalities between men and women in governance.

” Reform is a collective responsibility and we cannot simply issue communicates or promises, we must translate today’s dialogue into real actionable actions, the constitutional review communities have engaged with key institutions including the judiciary and conference of speakers of State Assembly and received submissions from citizens and stakeholders across the country, now we must build on this consultations and rise with actionable models of inclusion that reflects Nigerians unique context,” he added.

Meanwhile, Abbas urged Nigerians to adopt best practices from other African countries that promote gender equality.

” Rwanda with 60% of women representation in the parliament has shown us that robust, intention and policies work also South Africa, Namibia and Senegal all have made significant strides towards inclusivity reshaping their political landscapes in ways Nigeria can learn from”.