Writing on the occasion of Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary, PALANG KASMI reports that development experts and women leaders have called for greater gender inclusion, stronger representation of women in politics and governance and wider opportunities for them in decision-making and economic empowerment. Speaking at a two-day National Women Platform on Security Sector Reform and Governance in Abuja, they stressed that despite some progress, Nigerian women are still far behind their global counterparts and require deliberate action from government and stakeholders to bridge the gaps
As Nigeria celebrates 65 years of independence, development experts and women leaders have renewed calls for deeper gender inclusion, broader women’s representation and more opportunities across politics, governance, decision-making and economic empowerment.
Speaking at a two-day National Women Platform on Security Sector Reform and Governance held at Dennis Hotel, Abuja, the women argued that despite some progress, Nigerian women are still far behind their counterparts globally.
They tasked government and stakeholders to give women a true seat at the table and equal chances to contribute to national development as seen in many developed countries.
Slow progress despite achievements
Executive Director of Triple Nexus Consult, Ada Ichoja Ohaba, said Nigeria had made notable progress in women’s participation across politics, education, entrepreneurship and civil society. But the pace remains slow when compared to other countries.
“Nigerian women have broken barriers in leadership, business, and advocacy, but systemic challenges such as gender inequality, cultural stereotypes, and underrepresentation in decision-making continue to limit their full potential,” she said.
“While women in other parts of Africa and beyond are increasingly gaining stronger footholds in governance and economic spaces, Nigerian women are still fighting for proportional recognition and influence across several sectors.”
She advised that to accelerate progress, deliberate steps must be taken, including enforcing the 35% affirmative action in political appointments, strengthening gender-sensitive policies, expanding access to quality education for girls and supporting women’s economic empowerment through credit facilities, mentorship and entrepreneurship development.
“Addressing issues of gender-based violence, discriminatory practices, and lack of maternity protections are equally vital to creating an enabling environment for women to thrive,” she said.
“Furthermore, collaboration between government, private sector, and civil society is necessary to ensure inclusivity and sustainability. Stakeholders must invest in capacity building, leadership training, and digital literacy for women, while also creating safe spaces for women’s voices in peacebuilding, governance, and climate action.”
“By championing gender equality not only as a moral obligation but also as a strategic pathway to national growth, Nigeria can reposition its women to flourish and compete favourably with their counterparts globally,” she further advised.
Underrepresentation in politics, leadership
Development worker with Gender Initiative for Change and Social Transformation (GICSOT), Peret Goar, said Nigerian women are not faring well compared to their global or regional counterparts.
She noted that although some legal frameworks exist (66.7%) promoting gender equality, key indicators show persistent challenges.
According to her, only 3.9% of parliamentary seats are held by women in Nigeria, while women’s economic participation remains very low and unemployment disproportionately affects them.
She recommended: “Increase women’s political representation and leadership roles through quotas and empowerment programmes. Political parties should give women space. Enhance access to education and financial services to reduce economic disparities.
“Strengthen legal enforcement against gender-based violence and harmful cultural practices should be reduced. Improve healthcare access. Close gender data gaps for better monitoring and targeted interventions.”
Grassroots mobilisation, legal reforms
Plateau State Coordinator of the Women Peace and Security Network (WPS-N), Ambassador Bridget Dakyes, said Nigerian women had made inspiring progress over the years, excelling in politics, entrepreneurship, education and grassroots peacebuilding.
“But if we are honest, compared to their counterparts in many other countries, Nigerian women are still not faring as well as they should,” she said.
“The challenges remain very visible – high rates of sexual and gender-based violence, harmful cultural practices, limited economic opportunities, issues of housing, land and property rights, and underrepresentation in decision-making and political spaces.”
She added: “Survivors of SGBV often face stigma and, with weak justice systems, silence is still the default response to violence against women. So while there has been some sort of progress, Nigerian women continue to operate with far more barriers than their global counterparts in all spheres and strata of society, with violence against women being the major challenge to the everyday Nigerian woman.”
Dakyes, who is also the Executive Director and Founder of the Women and Girl-Child Rescue and Development Initiative (WGRDI), emphasised urgent steps.
“There must be full enforcement of laws at both the federal, state, and local levels. For instance, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) and the Child Rights Act must be implemented in all states, without exceptions,” she said.
She explained that her organisation was educating grassroots women and men in Jos North, Jos South, Mangu local government areas and beyond under the Gender Justice Project, encouraging women to “speak out, break the silence against sexual and gender-based violence”.
Dakyes further urged all levels of government to support enforcement by creating more gender desks in police stations, training officers to handle SGBV cases sensitively and ensuring survivor-friendly reporting systems.
She also demanded economic empowerment measures such as accessible credit facilities, vocational training, digital skills development and gender quotas in political spaces through the Reserved Seat Bill.
Calls for affirmative action, constitutional change
Youth Wing Coordinator of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), Yanat John, said Nigerian women are deliberately amplifying their voices and showing resilience in entrepreneurship, politics and financial literacy.
However, she maintained that progress was still lagging compared to global and even West African peers.
“Our national progress on key gender indicators is still significantly behind that of many counterparts globally and even within the West African sub-region,” she noted.
“To give the Nigerian woman her rightful place to thrive as is done in the developed world, she needs economic empowerment, increased access to financial resources, loans, and grants for women entrepreneurs. Government and stakeholders should provide vocational training and skills development programmes for women. There should be more mentorship, networking opportunities, and business incubation programmes for women-led businesses.”
She added: “Education and capacity building is central. We must promote girls’ education, reduce dropout rates, and provide scholarships and grants. Women’s healthcare and well-being must be prioritised with access to maternal care, rural healthcare services, and mental health support.”
Legal practitioner and Chief Strategist of Roots Media Initiative and Team Lead of the Anyang Ny’Igede Forum (Ahigboo Development Foundation), Onwanyi Ulegede, said Nigeria lagged behind Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana in affirmative action despite being a signatory to key international conventions.
“I would like to see more inclusion and diversity in appointments across all levels of government and an end to tokenistic appointment where, rather than giving women who are prepared for leadership opportunity, they pick women who lack capacity and are not able to deliver as a result,” she said.
She acknowledged that the President Tinubu administration had improved women’s representation in ministerial appointments but insisted that more must be done to uphold the affirmative principle.
She called for constitutional amendments to increase quotas for women in executive and legislative positions across all levels of government, beyond the Reserved Seats Bill.
Ulegede further advised: “There should be deliberate programmes to empower rural and urban poor females, particularly in education and agriculture. The girl-child should have free education.
“Smallholder female farmers should have access to interest-free loans and farming education. Harmful practices such as child marriage, denial of inheritance rights, and harmful widowhood practices must be checked with enforceable legislation.”