Coalition calls for women’s inclusion in constitution review

By Abubakar Yunusa

A coalition of Women Political Participation Partner’s Working Group is calling for constitutional inclusion to drive women’s political participation in decision-making and good governance.

The coalition made the call at a coordination and strategy meeting on affirmative action reforms to increase women’s political representation in the ongoing constitution review process in Abuja.

The President of the Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), Ms. Ebere Ifendu, stressed the need for affirmative action reforms to address and influence policymakers in the ongoing constitution review process of promoting women’s political participation.

She said “The Nigeria’s constitution review presents a unique opportunity to rectify the underrepresentation of women in politics. We must seize this moment to create a more inclusive democracy, harnessing the potential of all citizens, regardless of gender. As advocates, we believe that affirmative action is an important tool to address past injustices and ensure fair representation of women in the political landscape.

“We need more participation of women in politics. We need a quota system. We need affirmative action because for all the countries that we see have a certain percentage of women in governance, it is the legislation. Without legislation, we may not achieve anything.”

She added that the meeting was to coordinate all efforts, including advocacy for the adoption and enactment of reforms to boost women’s political representation in the constitution review process.

“The current constitutional review process presents a unique opportunity to incorporate gendered affirmative action reforms into Nigeria’s legal framework, demonstrating a commitment to equity, equality, and inclusivity. As Nigerian women, we went to court and got judgment on the National Gender Policy. We are saying that since there is judgement, we should begin to work on implementation and then be able to demand for implementation of the court order.

“We heard that the government has appealed. We have not received any notice of such appeal. So, we want to believe that what the law is as we speak today, is that the gender policy must be respected and it’s talking about 35 percent affirmative action.”

It is time for total inclusion
According to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Women Advocate, Professor Joy Ezeilo, “It is time to have total inclusion that accommodates and recognises the rights of women, youths, and persons with disabilities to participate and be included in governance and decision-making in the country.

“We are so behind other countries. So, what are we talking about that we cannot operationalise 35 or 30 percent? And we are still talking about something below.

“Women should not accept anything below 35 percent of political positions.

“We went to Beijing in 1995 and it was agreed that at least 30 percent affirmative action be given to us over 25 years ago. We have to find a way that this constitution becomes inclusive while addressing other problems in Nigeria.

“There is also the issue of justice, fairness, and equity in the application of resources for the greater benefit of all Nigerians. So, it is time to take action to rectify these wrongs of the past and these structural inequalities and discrimination against women.”.

The Director of Planning and Statistics at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCWD), Princess Jummai-Idonije, called for collaboration and commitment from women politicians to increase women in leadership positions.

The Stakeholders urged the 10th National Assembly to operationalise the 35 percent affirmative action as observed in other countries and in line with international standards to promote equity, fairness, and justice.

The coordination and strategy meeting, supported by UN Women is to unify efforts among diverse organizations to establish a coordinated programmatic approach that leverages the strengths and resources of each participating organization towards a common goal of advocating for affirmative action reforms to increase women’s political representation.