Abuja: Director-General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof Abubakar Sulaiman, has inaugurated the Nigerian Women Legislative Caucus to advance the cause of women.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the inauguration of the caucus was done during a Gala evening to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).
NAN also reports that the event was organised by NILDS, in partnership with the United Nations Women, on Tuesday in Abuja. In his opening remarks, Sulaiman noted that equity, justice, and fairness demanded women’s full inclusion in governance. He emphasized that democracy lacked legitimacy when decision-making bodies excluded half the population from representation and authority.
Sulaiman highlighted that women’s representation in elected offices has remained low despite their significant contributions to economic productivity, social welfare, and democratic life across the nation. He cited countries like Rwanda and Tanzania as examples, where constitutional gender quotas and special parliamentary seats for women have significantly increased representation. Sulaiman urged the passage of the special seat bill before upcoming general elections to secure institutional guarantees for women’s representation.
Setting the agenda and defining the conversations for the Gala, Mrs. Ebere Ifendu, the Chairperson of the Women Political Participation Working Group, stated that the special seat bill was critical to increasing women’s representation in government. She noted that efforts were ongoing to push it forward, emphasizing the urgency of implementing the bill to avoid a regression in women’s political representation.
In her goodwill message, UN Women Country Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mrs. Beatrice Eyong, commended NILDS for celebrating women and supported legislative advocacy for passing the special seats for women bills in Nigeria. Eyong stated that the bill aimed to correct the structural gender imbalances and improve women’s representation in Nigeria’s leadership and decision-making institutions.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, also urged the National Assembly to prioritize the passage of the bill, emphasizing UK’s continued support for women and girls’ civic participation. Represented by Graham Gass, Montgomery highlighted that this support aligns with the current foreign policy agenda.
Earlier, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, pledged the support of the National Assembly for the bill.