The member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Rep. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe has decried the low representation of women in Nigeria’s political space.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by Olusola Olamilekan, the lawmaker’s special assistant on media.

She raised her concerns at a one-day roundtable organised by a non-governmental organisation, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), in Lagos.

The event was organised in conjunction with the Canadian government and United Nations.

The programme had as its theme, “role of parliamentarian in ensuring gender and social inclusion for growth and development.”

Delivering a keynote address, Mrs Akande-Sadipe said that women occupied only a small percentage of seats in the National Assembly and state houses of assembly.

She further raised concerns about the barriers faced by women in competitive politics in Nigeria.

Mrs Akande-Sadipe, who is the only female Federal lawmaker from Oyo State, said the journey towards gender and social inclusion was filled with challenges.

She urged the federal, state and local governments to confront deep-rooted cultural norms, discriminatory practices, and biases that hinder progress towards a fairer society.

Mrs Akande-Sadipe said as a parliamentarian, she had a profound responsibility to represent and advocate the diverse needs and aspirations of her constituents, including women.

“We must also acknowledge that achieving gender and social inclusion requires an intersectional approach.

“It recognises and addresses the interconnected systems of disadvantage faced by women of different backgrounds”, she said.

Mrs Akande-Sadipe said in the National Assembly, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, women occupy only a small percentage of seats.

“In the Senate, women hold 3 per cent of the seats and in the House of Representatives, they hold 15 seats representing 4 per cent of the seats.

“This decline in women’s representation is disturbing and highlights the challenges and barriers faced by women in competitive politics in Nigeria.

“This means policies or issues regarding women could be easily swept under the carpet.

“The situation is not much different in state house of assembly. Out of the 1,019 females who contested in the 2023 state houses of assembly elections, only 48 women won, representing a success rate of 4.7 percent”, she said.

According to her, the figure increased slightly compared to the 2019 election but is still far from achieving proper representation.

“The 2023 elections saw a total of 1,553 women contesting various positions, including presidential, gubernatorial, and legislative seats. However, only 72 women were elected at the federal and state levels.

“We will agree that both figures are low, and women currently represent less than 10 per cent of the key positions in Nigeria politics”, the lawmaker said.

To enhance women’s representation in politics, Mrs Akande-Sadipe advocated that all hands must be on deck and urged women to take concrete steps to overcome these gaps.

“We must be resolute in identifying and dismantling the structural barriers that hinder women’s political participation.

“ As lawmakers, tackling discriminatory laws and practices and challenging traditional gender norms that limit women’s roles in public life should be integrated into our core objectives”, she said.

To achieve true gender equality and social inclusion, she said, society should actively work towards enhancing women’s leadership roles in politics and governance.

“When we empower women and promote their active participation in politics, we unlock the potential of half our population, leading to sustainable growth and development”, she said.

(NAN)