The lawmaker representing Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has decried what she described as the low representation of women in Nigerian politics, adding that it is increasingly becoming difficult to ignore.
The lawmaker raised her concerns at a one-day roundtable themed, ‘Role of parliamentarian in ensuring gender and social inclusion for growth and development,’
organised by a nongovernmental organisation, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), in Lagos.
In her keynote address, Akande-Sadipe noted that women occupy only a small percentage of seats in the National Assembly and state houses of assembly, reiterating the decline in women’s representation and the barriers faced by women in competitive politics in Nigeria.
Akande-Sadipe, who is the only female Federal Lawmaker from Oyo State, noted that the journey toward gender and social inclusion is filled with challenges.
She persuaded the Federal, State, and Local Governments to help confront deep-rooted cultural norms, discriminatory practices, and biases that hinder progress toward a fairer society.
Hon. Akande-Sadipe said as a parliamentarian, she has a profound responsibility to represent and advocate for the diverse needs and aspirations of her constituents, including women.
“We must also acknowledge that achieving gender and social inclusion requires an intersectional approach that recognizes and addresses the interconnected systems of disadvantage faced by women of different backgrounds,” she said.
Speaking further at the symposium organised in conjunction with the Canadian government and United Nations, she said in the National Assembly, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, women occupy only a small percentage of seats.
“In the Senate, women hold three percent of the seats, three seats, and in the House of Representatives, they hold four percent of the seats, 15 seats. This decline in women’s representation is disturbing and highlights the challenges and barriers faced by women in competitive politics in Nigeria. This means policies or issues regarding women could be easily swept under the carpet,” she stated.
She further said, “The situation is not much different in the state House of Assembly. Out of the 1,019 females who contested in the 2023 state houses of assembly elections, only 48 women won, representing a success rate of 4.7 percent. This number increased slightly compared to the 2019 election but is still far from achieving proper representation.
“The 2023 elections saw a total of 1,553 women contesting various positions, including presidential, gubernatorial, and legislative seats. However, only 72 women were elected at the federal and state levels, representing a low percentage of elected women candidates. We would agree that both figures are low, and women currently represent less than 10% of the key positions in Nigerian politics. Hence the need to activate our superhero spirit.”
To enhance women’s representation in politics, Akande-Sadipe advocates that all hands must be on deck, urging women to take concrete steps to overcome these gaps, fill in the numbers, and ensure that they have equal opportunities to participate and lead in the country’s decision-making structures.
By doing so, she said Nigeria can tap into the potential of its female population and foster more inclusive and effective governance.
“To achieve true gender equality and social inclusion, we must actively work towards enhancing women’s leadership roles in politics and governance,” she added.
