‘Nigeria Running On Half Of Its Potential Without Women In Leadership’

A group, Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, has asserted that collective voices remain crucial to securing women’s representation in Nigeria’s National Assembly.

The organisation stated this at the National Assembly public hearing on the constitutional review at the Transcorp Hilton in Abu

WRAPA’s Electoral Reforms project officer, Zainab Abdurasheed, said women had consistently advocated this through zonal hearings, adding that the national public hearing marked the climax of their campaign.

She said the group supported the Special Seats Bill for Women, insisting that the bill was vital for inclusive governance.

“We believe the collective voices of women are enough to ginger the political will of the government to see the need for women’s representation in governance,” she stated.

According to her, Nigeria has been “running on half its potential” by marginalising women in leadership positions. She explained that the bill would allow women’s voices to count in decision-making processes.

Abdurasheed said WRAPA had been mobilising women at the grassroots to take up leadership roles beyond token positions such as party “women leaders,” stressing that participation at political party structures would translate into broader representation.

She disclosed that the group was proposing 37 constituency seats at the national level and two per state constituency at the state level as part of the reserved seats.

She noted that women often lacked the financial capacity to compete with men in elections, but added that inclusive structures could ensure a level playing field.

While acknowledging that the Independent National Electoral Commission had achieved near parity in its leadership, she maintained that women’s representation must extend to party structures and elective offices.