By Uzoamaka Mfoniso
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has renewed calls for urgent constitutional reform to guarantee Reserved Seats for Women in Nigeria’s legislatures, insisting that women’s political inclusion is “not charity but justice.”
Speaking on the imperative of the Reserved Seats Bill , at the “She the People Dialogue” organised by the Emerge Women Initiative,in Abuja, Sulaiman-Ibrahim represented by APC National Deputy Women Leader, Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for championing inclusivity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“His administration has placed women, children, families, and vulnerable groups at the very heart of national development. Together, their leadership continues to affirm that no one will be left behind,” she said.
The Minister cited Nigeria’s stark gender gap in politics: out of 469 lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly, only 21 are women, representing 4.2%. In the 36 state assemblies, just 45 of 991 seats are held by women, a mere 4.5%.
“These numbers are not mere statistics; they are the measure of a democracy still struggling to reflect the faces and voices of nearly half its population,” she declared.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed that the Reserved Seats Bill has become a national imperative. “This proposal is not just an aspiration; it has become a demand rooted in equity and justice. The overwhelming support it has attracted across the country is a testament to the readiness of Nigerians to embrace inclusive governance,” she said.
She praised the leadership of the National Assembly for prioritising the bill, noting the roles of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, and especially Hon. Joshua Gana, sponsor of the bill, whom she described as “a true champion of renewed hope for Nigerian women.”
The Minister also acknowledged broad support from governors, their spouses, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society, and the media. “Their collective voices have made this movement unstoppable,” she affirmed.
Beyond legislative reform, Sulaiman-Ibrahim tied the push for reserved seats to her Ministry’s grassroots empowerment programmes, including solar home lighting, clean cooking initiatives, pad banks for girls, palliative distributions, and the Women Agro Value Chain Expansion project.
“These programmes are not slogans; they are tangible actions that light homes, restore dignity, and secure the future of our children,” she said.
With the public hearing on the Reserved Seats Bill slated for September 22, 2025, the Minister issued a rallying call: “The outcome depends on our unity, our unwavering voice, and our refusal to be silent. The story of Nigeria’s future cannot be written with half its people left behind.”
She closed with a message of resilience and solidarity: “Let us seize this moment with thunder in our voices, purpose in our steps, and unity in our hearts. And when history asks what we did in this defining hour, let it be said that we stood together; unbowed, unafraid, and unstoppable.”
She The People Dialogue series drew participants from all demographics who shared in the urgency of the passage of the Reserved Seats Bill for national development.
