Below 7% Of Nigerian Women Hold Elective, Appointive Offices

National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), says less than seven percent of women have been represented in elective and appointive positions in Nigeria since 1999.
The institute said the development was worrisome despite the 35 percent affirmative action.

The NILDS director-general, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, said this yesterday at a train-the-trainer workshop for NILDS staff on gender mainstreaming.

The workshop was facilitated by the UN Women in partnership with NILDS.
He said the workshop was designed to equip the institute’s staff with the necessary tools and competencies to mainstream gender into policies, programmes, and budgeting.

The DG said the workshop is expected to train NILDS staff to improve the institutional capacity in gender policy analysis, equip them with knowledge on gender mainstreaming principles and methodologies.
This, he said, would help integrate gender perspectives into NILDS policies, programmes, and activities and result in more inclusive and gender-responsive initiatives.

“It is indeed worrisome that despite the extant legal framework that recommends 35 percent affirmative action of women participation, available data reveals that on average, women’s participation and representation in governance since the advent of democratic rule in 1999 is less than seven percent,” he added.

The DG said the challenge facing all advocates of gender inclusivity in politics today was the wide gap between shared values reflected in the national and international policies and practices.