By Uzoamaka Mfoniso
Nigeria’s long-running struggle for women’s political inclusion is once again in sharp focus as activists, policymakers, and development partners gather in Abuja for “She The People”, a flagship dialogue hosted by the Emerge Women Development Initiative.
Themed “Deepening the Conversation, Accelerating Women’s Representation in Governance,” the event zeroes in on the Reserved Seats for Women Bill (HB 1349 & SB 440), one of the most debated legislative proposals before the National Assembly.
At stake is a structural attempt to correct Nigeria’s glaring gender imbalance in politics, where women currently hold just 3.6 per cent of seats in the House of Representatives and 7.3 per cent in the Senate—among the lowest representation rates in Africa.
By contrast, Rwanda and South Africa boast women’s parliamentary representation above 40 per cent, showing how much ground Nigeria still has to cover.
Founder of the Emerge Women Development Initiative, Mary Ikoku, insists the bill is not about tokenism but justice.
“Reserved seats are not a favor—they are a structural correction for decades of exclusion. We must build the momentum to make this reform a reality,” she said, underscoring the urgency of the conversation.
The dialogue, convened in partnership with the Entrepreneurship Centre for Women Development (ECWD), will feature high-level panels, interactive discussions, and a keynote address aimed at bridging advocacy with political action.
Civil society leaders are also raising the stakes. Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Founding Director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), challenged Nigeria’s leaders to move beyond rhetoric.
“We’ve talked long enough—now is the time for institutional action. These bills represent a turning point for women’s rights in Nigeria,” she argued.
Expected participants include Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Chair of the House Committee on Women Affairs, the Director-General of the Women Development Centre, Dr. Vilita Asabe, policy expert Dr. Otive Igbuzor, and the Deputy National Woman Leader of the APC. Diplomatic representatives, grassroots women, and development partners will also be in attendance.
The Abuja gathering is deliberately timed ahead of the September 22, 2025 public hearing on the Reserved Seats Bill at Transcorp Hilton.
Two panels will drive the agenda: “Building a Strong Case for the Reserved Seats Bill: Strategies for Sustained Advocacy and Lobbying for Passage” and *“Sustaining the Momentum: Strategies for Ensuring Passage of the Reserved Seats Bill.”
Beyond the speeches and photo ops, many are asking whether this push can finally break Nigeria’s cycle of stalled reforms.
Since 1999, women’s representation has never crossed 10 per cent at the federal level, despite repeated advocacy and international commitments such as the Beijing Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“The credibility of any democracy rests on inclusion. This is about ensuring women have a seat at the table where decisions are made,” Ikoku emphasized, reflecting the frustration of many women who have been shut out of decision-making for decades.
As Nigeria prepares for the public hearing, the SheThePeople dialogue signals both an opportunity and a challenge: whether the political establishment is ready to make women’s representation a reality, or whether the Reserved Seats Bill will join the long list of unfulfilled promises.
