Lagos Commissioner Faults Slow Pace Of Women’s Reserved Seats Bill

Lagos State commissioner for commerce, cooperative, trade and unvestment, Mrs Folashade Bada Ambrose, on Tuesday lamented the delays in passing the Reserved Seats Bill for women, saying such delays could significantly undermine female representation in governance.

Ambrose sounded the warning on Tuesday during the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration held at Alausa, Ikeja.

She said the failure to operationalise the bill before party primaries would limit its impact, leaving many women sidelined in the next electoral cycle.

According to her, recent changes to the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have further tightened the window for implementing reforms that could enhance women’s participation.

“The time available to operationalise critical proposals that expand participation, especially through the Reserved Seats Bill for women, is now shorter,” she said.

She explained that if the bill does not take effect before party primaries, it would be unable to influence candidate selection or election outcomes.

“If they do not influence candidacy, they cannot influence outcomes. And if outcomes remain unchanged, a significant portion of the women population will remain underrepresented for another electoral cycle,” Ambrose added.

The commissioner stressed that the issue goes beyond policy, describing it as one of fairness, inclusion, and national development.

Despite the concerns, she highlighted ongoing efforts by the Lagos State government to promote women’s economic empowerment, noting that initiatives such as the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund have supported thousands of female entrepreneurs with funding, training, and mentorship.

She also cited the N10 billion Lagos State Access to Finance through Cooperatives (LASMECO) programme, implemented in partnership with the Bank of Industry and Sterling Bank, which offers non-collateralised loans of up to N10 million at single-digit interest rates to cooperative-based MSMEs.

Ambrose further noted that the state has intensified capacity building programmes, including the Lagos State Export Readiness Programme (LASERP), which trained 252 SMEs in export development, with 20 businesses sponsored to participate in an intra-African trade fair in Algiers.

She reiterated that Lagos remains committed to strengthening women’s participation across economic and leadership spaces.

“Economic empowerment and political inclusion must go hand in hand,” she said.

Earlier, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Babatunde Onigbanjo, underscored the importance of women’s empowerment as a driver of economic growth and social stability.

Onigbanjo said the government has continued to implement targeted initiatives, including cooperative development schemes, access to low-interest financing, and market linkage programmes, to support women-led enterprises.

Also speaking, the senior apecial assistant to the governor on commerce, cooperative, trade and investment, Mrs. Nana Adeeyo, said efforts are ongoing to help women transition from informal to formal business structures.

She noted that formalisation would enable women entrepreneurs to access larger markets, government contracts, and institutional financing, ultimately boosting their economic potential.