The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, FSI, has made a passionate call for national unity and action in support of the Reserved Seats Bill, aimed at addressing the glaring underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Speaking at the opening of The People’s House Town-Hall and Strategic Roundtable on the bill, held at Abuja Continental Hotel, the Minister described the gathering as a convergence of voices championing a cause greater than any one person — the constitutional inclusion of women in governance.
“We are not just gathered in fellowship, but united as torchbearers of a cause that must define our future,” she declared.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his gender-sensitive leadership and his historic legacy of empowering women since his days as Lagos State Governor. “Under his Renewed Hope Agenda, we are seeing unprecedented support for inclusive governance. It is, indeed, women o’clock,” she said.
She also commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, whom she described as “a three-time senator and an unwavering advocate” whose Renewed Hope Initiative continues to inspire dignity and opportunity for women and children nationwide.
Applauding the 10th National Assembly, especially the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House Tajudeen Abbas, the Minister expressed special gratitude to Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu for his unrelenting advocacy for the Reserved Seats Bill.
But Sulaiman-Ibrahim also painted a sobering picture of the current political reality. “Only 20 women emerged in the National Assembly and 48 in State Assemblies out of over 1,000 candidates — that’s just 4.7% representation. Worse still, 14 states have no female lawmakers at all. This is a national emergency,” she said.
She lamented the complete exclusion of women in the just-concluded FCT primaries despite the presence of highly qualified female aspirants. “If the nation’s capital cannot offer a single woman a seat, then the system is broken,” she stated.
The Minister described the emotional, social, and systemic toll of continued marginalisation of women: “She bleeds during childbirth, when her daughter drops out of school, when laws fail to protect her, and when inclusion bills are blocked. Even at home, she is diminished by age-old myths of inferiority.”
Despite these setbacks, she affirmed the resilience of Nigerian women across every region and sector — from markets to ministries, creeks to cooperatives — describing them as “relentless, organised, and solution-driven.”
The Honourable Minister reiterated her Ministry’s commitment to advancing inclusion, not just through policy but with action. She announced plans to convene a National Roundtable involving political parties, traditional rulers, religious groups, corporate and grassroots bodies to build a united front for gender-inclusive reform.
She made a direct appeal to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Conference of Speakers, and political leaders: “Support the Special Seats Bill. Let history remember that you used your pen to write women into Nigeria’s democratic story.”
As the event concluded, Sulaiman-Ibrahim challenged the nation to answer a fundamental question: “What is sovereignty when half the population is excluded from shaping it?”
She closed with a powerful rallying call:
“Let inclusion rise above politics. Let our motherland hear the voices of her daughters and respond.”
ADEOLA KUNLE
