The House of Representatives passed for a second reading a bill aimed at amending the constitution to create additional legislative seats for women in the National and State Assemblies.
Jointly sponsored by Ben Kalu, the Deputy Speaker and 12 others, the bill proposes creating one senatorial seat and one House of Representatives seat in each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) exclusively for women.
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The Bill seeks to amend Sections 48 and 49 of the Constitution, becoming effective after the current National Assembly’s term and subject to review every 16 years.
Furthermore, the bill seeks to amend Section 91 to allocate three special seats for women in each state’s House of Assembly, distributed across the three senatorial districts of each state.
Leading the debate, Joshua Gana, a co-sponsor and representative of Lavun/Mokwa/Edati Federal Constituency in Niger State, argued that the proposed law addresses the significant imbalance and under-representation of women in the National Assembly and sub-national levels.
Gana emphasized that the bill is based on the fundamental principle of equitable representation, aiming to empower women by ensuring their voices contribute to shaping the legislative landscape and national development. He highlighted that gender equality and representation are core to constitutional democracy.
Gana pointed out that despite the Constitution guaranteeing equal rights, women’s representation in the legislature remains alarmingly low. He noted that in the 7th, 8th, and 9th Assemblies, women accounted for only 6.4%, 6.1%, and 2.7% of the Senate, respectively, and 6.4%, 3.05%, and 4.7% of the House of Representatives, respectively.
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“These statistics underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to ensure equitable representation and amplify the voices of women in our legislative houses at both national and sub-national levels,” Gana stated.
He added that the amendment is rooted in fairness and inclusivity.
Globally, Nigeria ranks among the lowest in women’s representation in parliament, while countries that have implemented affirmative action, like Rwanda and Andorra, have made significant strides toward gender equality in governance.
