During a recent strategy meeting in Abuja, supported by UN Women, the group highlighted the need for affirmative action reforms in the ongoing constitutional review process to ensure gender equality in political representation.
Ms. Ebere Ifendu, President of the Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), stressed the importance of leveraging the constitutional review to address the underrepresentation of women in politics. “This is a unique opportunity to create a more inclusive democracy by harnessing the potential of all citizens, regardless of gender,” she said. “Affirmative action is crucial to rectify past injustices and ensure fair representation of women in the political landscape. We need a quota system and affirmative action because, in countries with significant female representation in governance, it has been achieved through legislation.”
Ms. Ifendu noted that the meeting aimed to coordinate efforts and advocate for reforms to boost women’s political representation. She also mentioned that the ongoing constitutional review is a critical moment to incorporate gendered affirmative action reforms into Nigeria’s legal framework.
“We have a court judgment on the National Gender Policy mandating 35 percent affirmative action. Although the government has appealed, we believe the law, as it stands, requires this policy to be respected,” Ms. Ifendu added.
Professor Joy Ezeilo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and women’s advocate, emphasized the need for total inclusion that recognizes the rights of women, youths, and persons with disabilities in governance. “We must not accept anything below 35 percent of political positions. The 1995 Beijing Declaration called for at least 30 percent affirmative action, and it’s time we operationalize this in our constitution,” she said.
Former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs. Ene Obi, and Director of Planning and Statistics at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, Jummai Idonije, also emphasized the importance of engaging the legislature, media, grassroots women, and other stakeholders to increase women’s political representation. They called for collaboration and commitment from women politicians to boost the number of women in leadership positions.
The stakeholders urged the 10th National Assembly to implement the 35 percent affirmative action, aligning with international standards to promote equity, fairness, and justice. The coordination and strategy meeting aimed to unify efforts among diverse organizations to establish a coordinated approach in advocating for affirmative action reforms to increase women’s political representation.
