The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, assured on Monday that the ongoing Constitution review exercise by the 10th National Assembly will address the issue of gender imbalance.
The Deputy Speaker, who also chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, gave the assurance while speaking at the ongoing Roundtable on Women Inclusion in Politics organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Yiaga Africa, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, ElectHer, and funded by the European Union in Abuja.
Hon. Kalu, who lamented the poor participation of women in Nigerian politics, observed that countries like Rwanda had implemented a constitutional provision mandating at least 30% of parliamentary seats to be reserved for women. He stressed that the impact has been profound, with women now holding an unparalleled 61.3% of seats in the lower House of Parliament in Rwanda.
According to the Deputy Speaker, the figure stood at 4% of women holding seats in the House of Representatives and 3.6% in the Senate in Nigeria’s National Assembly. He added that the reservation of seats and adoption of electoral quotas for women would greatly increase Nigeria’s ranking among the community of nations.
He, however, said that with the ongoing constitution review exercise and the ‘body language’ of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the inclusion of Nigerian women in politics will be realised.
He said, “What you are stating is a fact; the comparative analyses were not manipulated. I read a few prepared by PLAC a few minutes ago. The Giant of Africa is the least on the list of women’s participation in politics. It is not good at all.
“Does the President (Tinubu) know this? Yes. Is he in support of such exclusion? No. Is he willing to take it to the next level? Yes. “Are there pieces of evidence to show that he believes in that, or is his body language towards that? Yes. Check, and you will find out that the First Lady was supported by him to be in parliament for a very long time. He was also in Parliament. He understands what you are talking about.
“The Vice President was in Parliament. The Chief of Staff to the President was in Parliament, and I’m happy to announce that his wife is with us in the House of Representatives.
“Why am I making these references? I make these references to encourage you that the body language of the current administration is towards the fact that we want more women in politics, and a friend of mine supported his wife, and the wife is here and she is in the Parliament, so members of the House of Representatives are supporting their wives to be in the Parliament. Members of the House of Representatives are also marrying women who are in Parliament.”
“So, we are not afraid of women being in parliament. There is hope that it is going to get better, and we are going to leverage this renewed hope found in the body language of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And I am hopeful that he is going to assent to the bill we will put together in Parliament.
“Let me also announce that you are lucky, so lucky that it is a ‘he for she’ that is in charge of the Constitution Review in the House of Representatives. And that is me. You know, I believe in empowering women. And I also believe sometimes they do better than men. Yeah, it is a fact.”
The Deputy Speaker also addressed the audience, some of whom are women parliamentarians from the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly, sharing some possible ways to increase women’s participation in politics.
“Comprehensive gender equality requires a multifaceted approach that addresses deeply rooted barriers, including discriminatory laws and practices, cultural biases, patriarchal attitudes, entrenched gender stereotypes, and unequal access to resources and opportunities. These are formidable challenges that demand our collective attention. We must commit ourselves to dismantling these obstacles and creating an environment where women can thrive in politics.
“Moreover, we must also ensure that women elected through seat reservations are empowered to effectively represent the interests of their constituents and advocate for gender-responsive policies and legislation. This requires providing them with the necessary support, resources, and training to excel in their roles as parliamentarians.
“As legislators, we bear a responsibility to be catalysts for change. Beyond enacting laws that promote women’s inclusion, we must cultivate a culture of inclusivity within our legislative bodies. This involves building a supportive environment, amplifying women’s voices, and challenging discriminatory practices,” he said.
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