NAS urged to support speedy passage of Reserved Seats For Women Bill

*as women decry declining political representation

Stakeholders and gender inclusion advocates have called on the National Association of Seadogs (NAS) also known as the Pyrates Confraternity to throw its weight behind the speedy passage of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill to boost women’s participation in governance, warning that continued delay could further worsen Nigeria’s already low female representation.

The call was made in Abuja during a Citizens’ Summit organised by Galleon Bay Deck of NAS, to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day.

Our correspondent reports that the proposed constitutional amendment is seeking to create reserved seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

Speakers at the summit highlighted systemic barriers limiting women’s access to political office, calling on members of the Deck to support the removal of such barriers through legislation and advocacy.

Speaking at the event, President of the Nigeria League of Women Voters, Irene Awuna-Ikyegh, lamented that despite Nigeria’s history of strong female political actors, women’s representation has significantly declined 26 years after the country’s return to democracy.

She recalled the contributions of notable figures such as Hajiya Gambo Sawaba and Fumilayo Ransome-Kuti in Nigeria’s political evolution, stressing that women have always played critical roles in nation-building.

However, she noted that the current statistics reflect a troubling regression, with only four female senators out of 109 and just 15 women in the 360-member House of Representatives, while 15 states have no female lawmakers in their assemblies.

Awuna-Ikyegh attributed the low participation of women in politics to persistent challenges including political violence, both physical and online, as well as deep-rooted cultural barriers that frame politics as a male-dominated space.

She warned that if urgent steps are not taken, the situation could deteriorate further ahead of the 2027 general elections, with projections indicating that women’s representation could drop below current levels.

The women’s advocate also criticised the delay in passing the Reserved Seats Bill, noting that failure to secure its passage by April would make it impossible to implement ahead of the next election cycle.

She emphasised that the bill is critical to creating inclusive political opportunities and correcting long-standing gender imbalances in governance.

In her remarks, Executive Director of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), Faith Nwadishi, urged citizens to actively engage lawmakers and demand accountability, stressing that political leaders must be pressured to act in the interest of inclusivity.

“We must use our voices to compel our representatives to pass this bill. Creating an enabling environment for women in politics is not optional—it is necessary for democratic growth,” she said.

Nwadishi further underscored the urgency of the situation by pointing to local governance statistics, revealing that out of 68 councillors in the recently concluded Federal Capital Territory (FCT), only one woman emerged.

She argued that Nigeria has “not tried women enough” in leadership positions, calling for a shift from a political culture that portrays governance as an exclusively masculine domain.

Participants at the summit collectively called for sustained advocacy, institutional reforms, and societal reorientation to ensure that women are given equal opportunities to participate and lead in Nigeria’s political space.