The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has renewed calls for the urgent passage of the Special Seats Bill.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on Friday in Abuja, Mr Kalu said that improved women’s representation could boost Nigeria’s GDP by nine per cent.

He said that the proposed legislation was not just about inclusion but a smart economic and democratic decision that Nigeria can no longer afford to ignore.

“We are losing nine per cent growth by excluding women,” he said.

He advised lawmakers and citizens to see the bill as a national investment rather than a favour to women.

The lawmaker urged Nigerians to rally behind the proposed Special Seats Bill, which seeks to reserve additional legislative seats for women at both the national and state levels.

He described it as a historic pathway to equity, innovation, and national prosperity, adding that Nigeria’s democracy cannot flourish without the full inclusion of women.

“We are not just pushing for fairness. This is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s development,” he said.

Mr Kalu said that the Special Seats Bill proposed 37 additional seats in the Senate – one seat per state and Abuja – and 37 more in the House of Representatives.

He said that it also sought to create 108 additional seats across State Houses of Assembly, with three seats allocated per state, to fast-track gender parity in Nigeria’s legislature.

“Altogether, the bill seeks to create 182 women-only legislative seats without affecting existing constituencies or restricting women from contesting on regular platforms. We are not taking anyone’s seat. These are additional seats for women, and they will have equal status, voting rights, and responsibilities,” he said.

He said that the bill included a sunset clause, a built-in review process to evaluate the law’s impact over four electoral terms (16 years) and decide whether to continue, modify, or repeal it.

According to him, increased female representation leads to more gender-sensitive laws, better educational and health outcomes, and stronger democratic leadership.

He said that the financial implication, at just 0.072 per cent to 0.226 per cent of the national budget, was negligible.

“But the cost of excluding women is enormous,” he said.

Ambassador Gautier Mignot, head of the European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, described the bill as a Nigerian-led solution to a Nigerian problem.

“It is not a foreign agenda. Countries like Mexico, Rwanda, Kenya, and even Morocco and Egypt have progressed. Nigeria must not lag. Nigeria is meant to lead,” Mr Mignot said.

Busayo Oluwole-Oke, the longest-serving federal lawmaker from Osun State, praised Mr Kalu’s leadership.

“As one of the oldest in the parliament, I have seen constitutional amendments come and go. But this one is different. Kalu is leading a people-centred approach that includes our mothers, sisters, and daughters,” Mr Oluwole-Oke said.

Bolaji Olagbaju, deputy speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and chairperson of the Nigerian Female State Assembly Members Forum, called the bill “a turning point”.

“We are 48 strong women across the 36 states, five of us deputy speakers. We stayed back in Abuja just for this moment. We are ready to push this bill from the grassroots,” Ms Olagbaju said.

She also spotlighted Ekiti’s track record, with women as deputy governor, SSG, accountant general, and 49 female special assistants.

“We want to clap now, but we will clap harder when this bill becomes law,” she said.

Maryam Keshinro, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, expressed the ministry’s full support.

“We will break our imbalances, deepen our democracy, and inspire future generations of women to lead with confidence. Let us look at this not just as a bill but a turning point in the history of our great nation,” Ms Keshinro said.

(NAN)