Despite forming the bulk of voting population in the country, women representation remains abysmally low in Nigeria. This is not withstanding the Beijing Affirmative Action and the bills initiated before the National Assembly to give fillip to demands by Nigerian women. In this report, OUR correspondents provide current statistics obtained from state Houses of Assembly across the country, with stakeholders suggesting how to address the ‘gender marginalisation.’
Recently, women groups stormed the National Assembly in protest against the rejection of gender bills during on amendments to the 1999 Constitution. For several hours, the protesting women shut down the main entrance to the National Assembly, demanding rescission of the decision of the two chambers to reject the five gender bills. Both the Senate and House of Representatives rejected the bills that sought the creation of 111 special seats for women at the national and state Houses of Assembly, provision of affirmative action for women in political party administration, and granting citizenship to foreign-born husbands of a Nigerian woman.
Not minding the presence of wife of the President, Aisha Buhari and wife of the Vice-President, Dolapo Osinbajo and other top female government officials at plenary, to drum support for passage of the gender bills, members of the National Assembly were loud in their nays against passage of the bills. Spokesperson for the House of Assembly, Honourable Ben Kalu had faulted the timing of the lobbying by women, stating that the lawmakers should not be castigated for voting along the lines of recommendations of their constituents. Kalu pointed out that the constituents were still influenced by religious and cultural inclinations, adding that it will take a while for Nigerians to embrace some of the changes being propagated by the rejected legislation. Kalu said: “You don’t lobby two days to the voting on a very important issue like this. It goes beyond lobbying at the last minute. It takes a lot of orientation. It takes a lot of advocacy. It takes a lot of sensitisation to enable people buy into this important agenda. You cannot play down on our current issues with regards to emerging democracies, one of which is our religious disposition, our cultural dispositions. These things play a role. We are part of society. Our religion and culture is part of society. It needs a lot of advocacy by civil society organisations, women groups to push this agenda forward, it is a wonderful agenda. Nigerians are shifting their focus to the representatives only. It was not the senators and the representatives that did the job; it was the instruction from their various constituents. If the House as an institution is not interested in the bill, it would not have passed the first reading, second reading and be allowed to go to the committee stage.”
Nigeria vs the rest of the world
As compared to several other countries, the journey towards a better female representation at both state and national level in Nigeria is still a long one. A data by the Inter-Parliamentary Union shows that the global average of women in national parliament stands at 26 percent. As of January 2022, Rwanda ranks highest in share of women in the national or lower house of parliament with 61.3 percent. Rwanda is followed by Cuba with 53.4 percent, then Nicaragua (50.6 percent), Mexico (50 percent), United Arab Emirates (50 percent), New Zealand (49.2 percent), Iceland (47.6 percent) while United States has 27.7 percent female representation in its legislature. Aside from Rwanda, Namibia and South Africa are the two other African countries that have above 40 percent of females in their legislature.
Globally, some countries have taken huge steps towards greater female representation in legislature. Suffice it to say that quotas are a common factor in many countries with appreciable percentage of women as legislators. The first country in the world to introduce a gender quota by law was Argentina in 1991. Since then it has become the legal requirement for parties across Latin America to put forward a certain proportion of female candidates. Many other countries have adopted different approaches with the same aim, either reserving seats for women (as in China, Pakistan and many Arab nations), or by political parties voluntarily adopting their own quotas (as in much of Europe). Countries like Rwanda have also enshrined in their constitution that an appreciable percentage of elected posts be held by women. The Rwandan Constitution of 2003 mandated 30 percent of elected posts be held by women. By 2008 women made up more than half of Rwanda’s parliament, and that proportion rose to nearly two thirds in the 2013 election. In Iceland, parties also drive gender party with all four major parties enacting voluntary quotas to achieve 40-50 percent of women represented in roles within the party and on electoral lists.
North vs South female representation
Whether at national or state level, the minute female membership of Nigeria’s legislature is the same. Over the years, there has been less than 15 percent representation of females in the legislature. In the present ninth National Assembly, females make up about seven percent of the 109-member Senate and about six percent of the 360-member House of Representatives. In the same vein, a survey across state Houses of Assembly shows that female membership of each State House of Assembly in the country range between one and 15 percent. Interestingly, the survey shows that the number of females in State Houses of Assembly in the Northern part of the country is worse compared those in the Southern part of the country.
Out of 24 members, Plateau State House of Assembly has member representing Jos North-West, Honourable Simi Dudu, as its sole female member. Since creation of Katsina State, Hajiya Mariya Abdullahi is the only woman to have ever won election to National Assembly in 1992, which was later dissolved by General Sani Abacha. Abdullahi said: “I won the election under an open ballot system. It is unfortunate now. Whichever woman attempted to contest any political office, is disqualified right from party primaries.”
The situation in Kebbi State is more peculiar as no woman has been elected into the State House of Assembly since 1999. More peculiar is the situation in Jigawa State which, since creation of the state 30 years ago, has never had a lady occupy law making position both at state and national level. In the same vein, there is no woman in either the legislative arm of the local councils. Like in Kebbi State, no woman is member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
However, in the last Assembly, only one woman, Maryam Garba Bagel was elected to represent Dass state constituency coming many years after the first woman legislator in the state, Hajiya Habiba Gabarin was elected in 1999. There are two female members out of 30 members that make up the Benue State House of Assembly. The two women are Mrs Agnes Uloko representing Ado constituency and Mrs Ngohide Agaigbe of Gboko East State constituency. The two members were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Since 1999, Mrs Rashida Abdullahi is the only woman who has ever been elected into the Taraba state house of assembly. Abdullahi was elected in year 2007 to represent Gashaka state constituency.
The ninth Ogun State House of Assembly has four women lawmakers, which is highest in the history of the Assembly. The lawmakers were Honourables Modupe Mujota (Abeokuta North); Sikiratu Ajibola (Ipokia/Idiroko); Bolanle Ajayi (Yewa South) and Atinuke Bello (Odogbolu), who also doubles as the Chief Whip of the House. During the sixth Assembly, the State Assembly produced the first female speaker, Honourable (Mrs) Titi Oseni-Gomez.
Osun has two women in its state House of Assembly. They are Honourable Adenike Elizabeth Abioye representing Ifedayo State Constituency and Mrs Mulikat Abiola representing Ifelodun state constituency. In Ekiti state, out of the 26-member state House of Assembly, only four are female. The four female lawmakers are, Yemisi Ayokunle, TejuOkuyiga, Kemi Balogun and Bunmi Adelugba.
Oyo state has one female lawmaker in the ninth Assembly made up of 32 members. The sole female lawmaker, Honourable Wumi Oladeji is returning for the second time having also been part of the eight Assembly. In 2011, Honourable (Mrs) Monsurat Sunmonu, the only female member then, emerged the first female Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Stakeholders speak
A female human right activist in Plateau State, Blessing Miri bemoaned retrogression in female representation in State Houses of Assembly. She lamented that women who showed interest in contesting were usually muzzled and frustrated and forced to drop along the line adding that the disposition of the two major political parties (All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party) towards women participation in politics must change to make them have a sense of belonging.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Mrs Mariya Abdullahi described as unfortunate what she perceived as degradation of women in Nigeria. Noting that politicians are wont to using and dump women after elections, Abdullahi argued that the women friendly bills were simply formulated out of sympathy for women. Abdullahi lamented, “Here in the North, the highest position a woman is given in politics is party women leader from ward level to local government and state. “Women are only used to mobilise the women folk and source their support and vote for men during elections.”
‘’Women interests are neglected. For example, maternity leave for women is far below the days women require to deliver and rest before resuming to work, but because women have no good representation, the provision in the constitution is not adjusted,” she said.
Mrs Janet Audu, a contestant for a seat in the Taraba state house of assembly, in the 2019 election, expressed dismay that women are being sidelined in politics. Audu said the bill would have given courage to women who hitherto are afraid of contesting into elective position. She described the situation in Taraba as woman deprivation and gender bias.
A former lawmaker, Honurable Fasiu Bakenne said the fear of losing at the polls might primarily be the reason women are not actively involved in politics. Bakenne said: «I don›t understand why our women are not showing interest in elective offices. They sit on the fence, clapping the menfolk, which is not good at all. They should be courageous to contest against us. They are nation builders. We need them in the political space.”
Speaking, Chairperson of National Women of Journalists (NAWOJ) in Ogun State, Mrs Motunrayo Adegbayo, charged women to always show interest in politics. Ayegbayo advised leadership of political parties in the country to massively involve women in the activities of political programmes, described their contributing zeal to any programme as second to none. Her NAWOJ counterpart in Oyo State, Mrs Jadesola Ajibola lamented that political parties were not giving women opportunities to be executive members of the party let alone getting the party ticket to vie for elections. Though Ajibola noted that there was need for more women to come out to contest for party tickets, she decried that the few that got involved in politics were not getting adequate support.
Meanwhile, a number of other stakeholders attributed the extremely low female representation in the North compared to the South to religion and culture limiting the extent to which women can be in the public eye. Political parties also absolve themselves of intentionally limiting the political space to women. Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Mr John Akans said election was about right, choice and interest, hence the party cannot force anyone to seek elective positions. Akans said, “There is 35 percent affirmative for women but in a situation where they refuse to come out, what do you do? Do you force them? I think they need to encourage themselves and take advantage of the opportunities available within the party to increase their number.
Speaking, the Taraba state PDP chairman, Kefas Agbu, noted that the absence of female representatives in the legislature is due to women low participation in active politics of the state and their non-acceptability to voters. “As far as our party the PDP is concerned, nomination form is free for women. All what they need to do is just to pay administrative fees. Women are great mobilisers, they should encourage their fellow women; we want to see them coming out in their large number to contest.” The publicity secretary of the Plateau APC, Mr Slyvanus Namang said both the party and APC-led administration are gender sensitive and has never shied away from complying with the affirmative action as spelt out by the party.
However, there is a ray of hope for re-consideration of the rejected bills as the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, said it will be revisiting the bills to expand the scope of citizenship by registration; bill to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration; and bill to provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria.
Reports by Isaac Shobayo, Mohammed Abba, Ayodele Ajoge, Johnson Babajide, Adamu Amadu, Olayinka Olukoya, Adeolu Adeyemo, Yomi Ayeleso, Ishola Michael and Wale Akinselure
and then