Despite accounting for half of Nigeria’s population, female participation in politics in the country has declined significantly in recent years to a record low.
Though a patriarchy society, the history of Nigeria and its political emancipation as a country cannot be complete without mentioning the significant contribution of women.
BusinessDay findings reveal that despite constituting the bulk of the registered voters in recent years, women political appointments and inclusion in governance in Nigeria from 1999-2019, has retrogressed significantly in recent years.
For the house of representatives, in 1999, the number of women were 12 out of 360 members which was 3.3 per cent but increased to 21 (5.8 percent) in 2003. It further increased to 23 (6.4 percent) in 2007, then 26 (7.2 per cent) in 2011. But in 2015, the number decreased to 19 (5.3 per cent) and further reduced to 11 in 2019.
In 1999, there were only 3 women out of the 109 members representing 2.8 per cent of the members of the Senate. In 2003, it increased to 4 representing 3.7 percent of the members. In 2007, the number increased to 8 (7.3 percent). However, it decreased to 7 in 2011, which is 6.4 percent but increased to 8 (7.3 percent) in 2015, it then reduced to 7 in 2019.
For the ministerial cabinet, from 1999-2003, only 7 out of 47, were women. In 2007, the number however, remained the same. In 2011, it rose to 12 out of 42, but declined to 5 in 2015 and increased to 7 in 2019.
Tinu Mabadeje, a politician and gender advocate, however, blamed the current administration for not making the political climate friendly for women to participate and win elections in the country.
“There is no doubt about it that we are in a replicated era of the military where women do not have opportunity to display their abilities and capabilities. We hope and pray that very soon “when another regime comes in, that it will take us back to the era of the Yar’Adua and Jonathan administration where they gave women the room to flourish and to display their abilities,” Mabadeje further said.
This is however, coming at a period when other African countries like Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Africa are making serious inroad and push for gender parity in politics by ensuring that women made up half of their countries’ ministerial cabinet and significant number in the legislature.
In 2006, a National Gender Policy was formulated to promote a 35 percent affirmative action for women, a policy that demands 35 percent involvement of women in all governance processes.
For close to eight years, the gender equality bill which is designed to eradicate gender inequality in politics, education and employment has been sitting in the Nigerian Senate.
And so far nothing has been done about it. According to the 2018 Global Gender Gap report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Nigeria ranked 139th position out of a total of 149 countries in political empowerment.
Zainab Marwa Abubakar a politician and lawyer said, “It is a statement of fact that where there is no woman, there is no nation, because for you to progress, you need women. So, the importance of women to governance can never be over emphasized. Hence, there is need to, as a nation, bring women on board.”
“The number of elective posts held by held by women is low. Zero percent governorship. How can we move on like this as a nation without mainstreaming women in governance?” Abubakar asked.
Presently, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country has continued to lag among its African peers in women inclusion in both elective and appointive political positions.
On October 16, 2018, Ethiopia became the first country in Africa to have gender-balanced cabinet with 50 percent of its members being women. Out of a total of 20 members, 10 were female. Two days after Ethiopia followed suit by also announcing 50 percent of its cabinet to be women. And in June 2019, South Africa also made such announcement too.
Mabadeje said that she is hopeful that before the present administration end that the president will come to the realization that he has not given women enough room in political appointments in the country.
Has a way out, stakeholders have, however, advocated for a reform of the nation’s electoral system, while the political parties should be more transparent in selecting their candidates for elections.
Ebere Ifendu, Chair women in Politics Forum in Nigeria (WiP), said, “If we can have internal democracy and legislation for affirmative action, we will start having women with quality and capacity contest under their platforms. Let them also give us the opportunity of independent candidacy so that you don’t have to struggle to go through any platform.”
“Because of the tokenism of the free forms that the political parties give women, when it comes to consensus, it is the woman that is often asked to step down,” Ifendu further added.
Iniobong Iwok & BUNMI BAILEY
