From Romanus Ugwu,Abuja
Miffed by gender imbalance at both chambers of the National Assembly, former ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Ene Obi, has appealed for a fair and equitable reservation of no fewer than 74 seats for the women at the legislative chambers during the forthcoming 2027 general elections.
Her demand was reechoed by the Executive Director of the Africa Center for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, who described Nigeria as one of the worst countries in the world in terms of women empowerment and involvement in leadership positions.
They spoke in Abuja during the launch of Inclusive Pathway Development Initiative (IPADEV), aimed at promoting equal opportunities, social justice, and community empowerment through inclusive policies, capacity building, and advocacy for societal transformation to mark the 50th birthday of development expert and former regional head in Nigeria of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Dr Margaret Fagboyo.
While calling on the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu, to ensure passage of the Bill already at the National Assembly, Obi insisted that women deserve at least 37 seats, particularly in the Senate.
She described as unfortunate the ugly situation women cannot boast of occupying a single seat in the House of Assemblies in 14 States across the country, lamenting that it was worsened by the fact that there are some Committees concerning Women Affairs headed and manned by the male gender.
While arguing that there is no way women would get a fair deal in the country if the ugly trend persists, she said: “Nigeria is a place where we have one of the worst indices in terms of maternal mortality. Any woman who is pregnant, no matter your age or your status, is on a mortality death row.
“He who wears the shoes knows where it pinches. It’s important to have women and men. There is no competition.
“We are asking for—me as a mother in Nigeria and in Africa—I want my boys and girls to be on the table. That’s where they can make meaning out of life. The result of every decision depends on who is in the boardroom. Those who are not there, the decisions don’t represent them.”
Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines on the birth of the NGO, Mrs. Fagboyo disclosed that she decided to establish the organisation as a means to give back to the society positively.
She maintained that a life without service is a life in pain, adding: “I pray that this new chapter, that the Lord will make it fulfilling for me, fruitful, purposeful, impactful.”
“All I have to say is gratitude. Gratitude for what God has done in my life. Gratitude for what God has taken. And like I said in my speech, I choose gratitude over regrets. I have not regretted anything. I
f there’s anything I have regretted, it’s like not taking steps when I am supposed to take them.
“I lean back at some point. But at 50, I told myself that anything that I want to do, I will go for it. I want to continue to raise the bar. I want to continue to make an impact.
“And I thank God for the birth of IPADEV. I also want to use that opportunity to give back to society. Like I said, I have a tripod journey. I worked with development partners for 18 years. I worked with the government for three years. I have been in the NGO space for three years. And I said that all these experiences should not die within me. Let me give back to society. And that was what brought about IPADEV.
“And I pray that we will use the platform to give back to the society, to also take care of the traditionally left behind. The Sustainable Development Goals say, leave no one behind. And that is the reason behind IPADEV. We don’t want to leave anyone behind. We want an inclusive government.
“We are the old, the women, the young, the people living with disability can also engage, contribute and benefit from the society,” she noted.