S’ west Monarchs Urge N’ Assembly to Swiftly Pass Special Seats Bill for Women 

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

South-West traditional rulers, led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, on Friday in Abuja launched an unprecedented campaign to rally political momentum behind the Special Seats Bill, which is Nigeria’s boldest legislative attempt yet to correct entrenched gender imbalance in political representation.

The high-level meeting, convened by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in collaboration with leading Nigerian women’s coalitions, marked the strongest and most coordinated push so far to secure the bill’s passage. 

The proposal seeks constitutionally backed additional seats for women in the Senate, House of Representatives and state assemblies.

Issuing a passionate royal appeal, the Ooni described the bill as “a long-overdue corrective instrument” and urged lawmakers to align legislative duty with moral responsibility by expanding political space for Nigerian women.

The Ooni said: “Women produce, nurture and multiply everything we give them, yet we treat them as afterthoughts. It is not fair.

“We must give them more inclusion, more participation in anything we do. This initiative is yielding results already, and we traditional rulers stand firmly behind it.”

He highlighted the core provisions of the bill, six additional Senate seats per geopolitical zone, 37 in the House of Representatives, one per state and the FCT, and 108 across state houses of assembly, describing the proposal as “the minimum acceptable step in the right direction”.

Using a vivid analogy, the monarch said Nigeria treats women “like caterpillars that clear the road,” only to deny them passage when the road is ready. 

He vowed that traditional rulers across the South-west would mobilise their constituencies to build widespread support.

“We understand how to speak to our subjects. We will engage them. We are not using force but appealing with wisdom,” he assured.

The event also offered the monarch an opportunity to commend the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, whom he hailed as “mother of the nation” for her longstanding commitment to girl-child education and women’s empowerment. 

“A lot of the seeds she planted are the fruits we are celebrating today,” he said.

The Ooni re-emphasised the historic opportunity before lawmakers. 

“We have seen how our young women excel in schools and across sectors. 

“They will lead this nation one day, if we create space for them now. The legislative arm is the next frontier, and we are here to make history.”

The Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said the gathering was strategically designed to generate political traction ahead of constitutional amendment debates. 

He lamented that Nigeria remains stuck at less than 5 per cent women’s representation, one of the lowest globally, and that repeated advocacy cycles have failed to address the structural barriers facing women.

“The Special Seats Bill is a temporary but necessary affirmative action measure, grounded in constitutional equality and aligned with global commitments such as CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol,” he said.

Citing examples from Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda, Sulaiman argued that affirmative action has strengthened governance across Africa. 

“When women are at the table, policy outcomes become more responsive to education, healthcare social welfare and human security. This is not theory, African evidence shows it,” he added.

Civil society leaders on the occasion also reinforced the urgency of reform. 

Former ActionAid Country Director and member of the 100 Women Lobby Group, Ene Obi, noted that 14 Nigerian state assemblies currently have no female lawmaker. She said this gap severely harms policy development.

She said: “In these states, committees on women affairs are chaired entirely by men. How do we expect policies affecting maternal health, gender-based violence, education or social protection to be addressed adequately when those who understand the pain are absent from the table?” 

Obi stressed that Nigeria ranks among the bottom five countries globally in maternal mortality. 

“Every pregnant woman in Nigeria is on a death row. If women are not in the room when decisions are made, their issues will never make the agenda,” she added.

Obi recalled that during the ninth Assembly, five gender-related bills, including a version of the Special Seats Bill, were rejected, prompting weeks of protest by women who blocked the National Assembly gates. 

“We burnt in the Abuja sun for four legislative weeks, and yet they did not hear us. But the 10th Assembly has given us hope. They promised not to throw away gender bills again,” she said.

Obi urged lawmakers to go beyond the current quota and consider increasing the number of additional Senate seats for women from six to eight to ensure proportional representation.

The gathering, which had in attendance over 100 traditional rulers from the six states in the South-west geopolitical zones, concluded with a commitment to form a regional advocacy structure anchored on South-west traditional rulers, legislators and women’s groups, with NILDS providing technical support.

If enacted, the Special Seats Bill would represent the most significant structural shift in gender representation since Nigeria’s independence.