36,000 women in Bauchi State have urged the National Assembly to pass the Reserved Seats Bill, aimed at increasing women’s participation in governance.
The women, under the aegis of the Nigerian League of Women Voters, submitted their signatures to the House of Representatives in support of the bill.
“We conducted a town hall meeting to raise awareness on women’s participation in politics, and the clarion call made an impact,” Hajiya Zainab Mohammed, Chairperson of the league told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
She added, “We need to emphasise that women constitute larger populations of voters in the state. Women appointed or elected into political offices support families, empower other women and impact more in the community. Women generally have innovations and unique ideas in spite of being vulnerable to ensure inclusiveness.”
The women highlighted several challenges that hinder their participation in politics, including intimidation and financial constraints.
“Intimidation and financial constraints in vying for political offices are the major outcry by women. Mostly, religion and tradition are identified as challenges, experts shed more light on these issues. Women are being encouraged to stay engaged,” Mohammed said.
On her part, the Chairperson of the Jigawa Women Consultative Forum, Balaraba Abdullahi, advocated exclusive reservation of elective posts for women, to end gender and political marginalisation.
Abdullahi said, “Women have been left behind in various fields of human endeavors, ranging from politics, social development, economic empowerment, education, health and other day-to-day activities. Women should strive hard in meeting their targets because the present day needs more women’s participation in politics and leadership.”
Abdullahi also identified lack of unity, envy, and jealousy among women as major obstacles to their attainment of political and leadership positions.
“For instance, when a woman contests an election, her peers conspired and voted for men instead,” she said, advising women to support each other in all ramifications.
A Gombe-based political analyst, Mustapha Yunusa, emphasised the importance of reserved seats for women, noting that it would address the underrepresentation of women in governance and decision-making processes.
“Nigeria must take deliberate steps including constitutional amendments, to reserve seats for women just like other developed democracies,” he said.
Yunusa also decried the rejection of the gender bills by the national assembly in 2022, which included proposals for the 35 per cent affirmative action in political appointments and reserved legislative seats for women.
Yunusa continued, “The rejection of these bills is a major setback for gender equality. It shows that without legal reforms, women will continue to be excluded. Reserved seats are no longer a luxury, it is a necessity,” he said.
He urged the lawmakers to revisit the bills and adopt sound legislation towards institutional reforms to ensure adequate women representation in governance.
“These women paved the way yet we fail to build on the foundation they laid, we must honour their legacies by creating real opportunities for women to lead, starting with guaranteed representation in our legislative houses,” he added.
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