Experts, Advocates Back Women’s Reserved Seats Bill at GS-25 in Abuja

By Kolawole, Mariam O.

To accelerate gender parity in governance and advance women’s leadership in Nigeria, the Policy Innovation Centre convened a plenary at the Gender Inclusion Summit in Abuja on Thursday, September 4, 2025 to deliberate on the Reserved Seats for Women Bill (HB1349/SB440).

The session featured a panel of thought leaders from business, media, politics, tech, and development who examined the bill’s intent progress and potential impact.

 Ebi Alaibe Elezieanya,  South-South coordinator of the Reserved Seats for Women Campaign Coalition and founder of the “I-Teach Africa” initiative, highlighted the low number of women currently in the National and State Houses of Assembly. She also dismissed claims that the bill amounts to tokenism, stressing that concrete measures are needed to raise women’s representation in politics.

Dr. Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director of Invictus Africa explained that the bill is a temporary special measure designed to last four election cycles after which the bill’s renewal or removal will depend on whether its goals are achieved.

The Special Adviser (Legislative) to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives,  Dr. Chidozie Aja, commended advocates of the bill, for addressing gaps that hindered the passage of the five gender bills rejected during the 2022 constitutional amendment cycle. 

He noted growing parliamentary interest in the bill and advised that traditional and religious institutions be engaged to strengthen advocacy efforts.

Dr.  Shonibare also emphasised the importance of public awareness, citing data that low understanding of gender-related legislation contributed to past failures.

She referenced a survey conducted by Invictus Africa on the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, which revealed that 50.7% of Nigerians were unaware of the law while many of those who knew of it, lacked knowledge of its content.  

“Knowledge is power and knowledge empowers” Dr. Shonibare said. “We can advocate for the bill but we can only advocate to the extent that we know”.

The panelists agreed on the urgency for the passage of the Reserved Seats for Women bill, as a conduit to increasing women’s political representation in Nigeria.  

For more information on the bill, visit www.reservedseatsforwomen.org