Nigerian women stand to gain 156 additional seats across state and federal legislatures if the Reserved Seats for Women Bill currently before the National Assembly is passed and signed into law by the President.
The bill, which seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create special seats for women in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, is being championed by gender advocates as a corrective, temporary, and strategic measure to address decades of underrepresentation of women in governance.
While the proposal recommends one reserved seat for women in both the House of Representatives and the Senate from each state, as well as three seats per state assembly, The Nation gathered that the Senate is pushing instead for one reserved women’s seat per geopolitical zone in the upper chamber.
Speaking during a training session for members of the House of Representatives Press Corps—organised by the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs in collaboration with the TOS Foundation—the Special Adviser to the Deputy Speaker on Legislative Matters, Chidozie Aja, dismissed claims that the bill is designed to help women displace men from existing elective positions.
He said, “For emphasis, these seats will not replace existing seats, but will expand representation to create room for women at the table of decision-making. It is important, also to note that political parties will field only female candidates for these seats.
“It is meant to last for 4 election cycle of 16 years in all. It is a temporary special measure. However, adjustments being proposed so far may either completely remove the sunset clause or extend the duration. Summarily, the Bill seeks to alter Sections 48, 49, 71, 77, 91 and 117 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999; and more recently recommended alteration of Section 42.
“While this is novel in the Nigerian space, this approach has been used successfully by Rwanda, now the global leader with 61% women in Parliament. Other countries that have successfully implemented this approach, in various forms and mixes, include Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Senegal. “
(The Nation)
