Nigeria's 10th House of Representatives Takes Step towards Women's Empowerment

Strategic Insights -

The 10th House of Representatives in Nigeria is making notable strides towards improving women's political representation and ending gender-based violence in the country. The lawmakers have promised legislative reforms to increase women's representation in politics, promote funding for female candidates, and strengthen the Electoral Act 2022 to penalize violence against women in politics.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 10th House of Representatives plans to reintroduce and support the Bill on temporary special seats for women in the Constitution amendment efforts of the 10th National Assembly.
  • The lawmakers aim to legislate to increase women's representation in elective positions by creating special women-only seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.
  • The House will introduce electoral reforms to implement mandatory requirements for political parties to have a certain percentage of female candidates and in party leadership structure.
  • The lawmakers will promote funding or subsidies specifically for female candidates to reduce financial barriers to entry.
  • The House will strengthen the Electoral Act 2022 to penalize violence, intimidation, and harassment against women in politics.
  • The Deputy Speaker, Kalu, has assured Nigerian women that the parliament's readiness to ensure the rejected gender bills don't suffer the same fate in the 10th Assembly.

Statistics:

  • Currently, women occupy four out of 109 seats in the Senate and 16 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives.
  • In the Ninth National Assembly, there were eight female Senators and 13 female members of the House of Representatives.
  • Nigeria remains at the bottom of the list in the ranking for the number of women in African Parliaments.
  • An estimated 3,600 cases of violence against women occurred nationwide during the lockdown measures in 2020.

Sources:

  • "Rekindling Hope in Nigerian Women: The 10th House of Representatives Takes Action" by Udora Orizu
  • News article "Nigeria's 10th House of Representatives Makes Promises to Empower Women"
  • Interview with Deputy Speaker, Kalu, in News article "Deputy Speaker Kalu Talks Empowerment of Women in Nigeria"
  • Nigeria's House of Representatives website and official statements