Women in Nigeria have called for more opportunities to encourage their active participation in policymaking and to support female candidates during elections.

In a survey conducted in Oyo, Ogun, and Kwara, the women also unanimously supported the call for a Bill for Special Legislative Seats for Women in Parliament.

Folasade Aladeniyi, a former chairwoman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan branch, said women’s participation in politics was not only a matter of equality but a necessity for balanced and effective governance.

Ms Aladeniyi said that women bring unique perspectives, compassion, and inclusiveness into leadership. She said that their involvement ensures that the needs and interests of all members of society, especially womenfolk and children, are adequately represented in policy decisions. According to her, encouraging more women to take part in politics will strengthen democracy and promote national development.

She noted that training and reserving seats for women were crucial steps towards bridging the gender gap in political representation. Ms Aladeniyi said that political training would equip women with the knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills required to compete effectively.

Bose Oyewole, the former chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists in Oyo, urged more women to participate in politics because they form an integral part of society.

“A complete family consists of a man, a woman, and children; it’s the family that forms the nation, while a family where only the man takes all the decisions will eventually collapse. Once we continue to have people who think the same way to rule a nation for a long time, there are bound to be problems.

“There will be lots of hardships and slow development. Unfortunately, that is what Nigeria has been facing in the last 65 years,” she said.

As regards the training of women, Ms Oyewole said that it was unfortunate that there had been this void from the beginning of the nation’s existence.

“Once women are involved in making laws for Nigeria, things will change drastically because they know where the shoe pinches,” she said.

Ms Oyewole underscored that women contribute a lot to the development of any nation. According to her, in commerce, markets, hospitals (as nurses), and other fields, women are present and also produce the food to feed the nation.

Ademubowale Adelabu, the chairperson of FIDA in Oyo, urged women to fully participate in politics to advance the cause of women. According to Adelabu, it is important to support the Bill for Reserved Seats for Women because it increases the number of female voices in parliament representing the masses.

Bisi Oluranti, a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly (Ogbomoso North), stressed the need for women to participate fully in politics. This, Ms Oluranti said, would help to overcome persistent barriers through legislative reform, financial and institutional support, as well as changes to deep-seated cultural and social norms.

The lawmaker stressed the need for more women to participate in politics, noting that organisations that train women in politics and advocacy enjoyed reserved seats to increase representation.

This, she said, signals that many organisations should do more to offer targeted training, such as campaign management, fundraising, public speaking, and building networks, aimed at women to encourage them to participate in politics and contest for elective office.

Also, a former commissioner for social development in Kwara, Mrs Bosede Buraimoh, urged everyone to support the bill, encouraging participation of more women in politics, with a view to propelling them to do more in the field.

Ms Buraimoh listed some of the factors to include inadequate support as well as deep-seated cultural and social norms.

Also, the executive officer of Global Hope for Women and Children, Christy Abayomi, called for continuous sensitisation on gender stereotyping and gender bias in the community. Ms Abayomi identified political violence as a factor discouraging women’s participation in politics.

She called for more mentoring programmes for women in politics to enhance their capacity and improve their self-esteem, enabling them to develop effective policies.

The Women Environment and Youth Development called on Nigerian women to brace up and increase their political participation ahead of the 2027 general elections. Tosin Apiriola-Ajayi, its executive director, explained that the organisation had commenced a project on empowering women for political participation in Nigeria.

According to her, the project is a grant from the UN-Women Headquarters, funded by the European Union under the Women and Youth Democratic Engagement initiative. Ms Apiriola-Ajayi said that WOYODEV targets three states in Nigeria (Kwara, Enugu, and Lagos) for the implementation of the project.

She said that the objective was to accelerate a socio-cultural shift from norms that limit women’s participation in active politics to positive democratic values that empower women’s active political participation in Nigeria by 2027.

Ms Apiriola-Ajayi observed the need to ensure women’s political engagement and create momentum for attaining affirmative action in the 2027 national elections. The WOYODEV director emphasised the need to encourage female political candidates to be financially, intellectually, and legally prepared, fostering an atmosphere that would allow them to run for office and win in the general elections.

Ms Apiriola-Ajayi urged feminist coalitions and movements to enlist female parliamentarians, female party stalwarts, and politically powerful women to engender women’s active participation in the 2027 general elections.

Omolola Alamu, NAWOJ chairperson in Oyo, said there was a need for the government to increase women’s participation in politics by encouraging them to aspire for elective positions. Ms Alamu advised that there should be a reduction in the nomination form fee for women.

She added that there should be specific positions reserved for women in politics, in line with the 35 per cent affirmative action for women in politics, which no state in Nigeria had met.

The proposed bill seeks to create one additional legislative seat to be contested by women only for each state and Abuja in the Senate and House of Representatives. The women also seek to amend Sections 48 and 49 of the Constitution and propose three special seats for women, each at the 36 State Houses of Assembly.

Edith Isiek of Stand to End Rape Initiative said it was important to gather support and raise people’s awareness for the bill’s easy passage. According to her, individuals and organisations should prioritise the bill by engaging with and discussing it.

(NAN)