By Oluseye Ojo
These days, there have been increasing advocacies for gender equity, balance, mainstreaming, and inclusion, especially for women to be in top elected and appointive leadership positions across the globe.
In Nigeria, there have been discussions on the need to scale up participation of women in the vibrant tapestry of political landscape and governance. But governance is seen majorly as a male affair.
Recent statistics from a research by Saturday Sun across the states and the Federal Capital Territory reveal a stark gender imbalance in the various arms of federal, state, and , local governments.
A total of 3,134 positions were looked into, out of which females currently occupy 282 offices, representing nine per cent, while males hold 2,852 positions, representing 91 per cent.
Data Analysis
The extant National Gender Policy (NGP) in Nigeria recommends 35 per cent affirmative action for women. It also seeks at least 35 per cent representation each for women in elected and appointive public service positions.
In the whole of the 19 states in the Northern Region, a total of 1,378 positions were perused, out of which women hold 106 (8%) and men 1,272 (92%).
In the Southern Region with 17 states, a total of 1,267 positions were examined, comprising 150 females (12%), and 1,117 men (88%). At present, all the 36 governors in Nigeria are males, while there are nine female deputy governors (25%), and 27 male deputy governors (75%). Seven women are among the 36 SSGs (19%), while the men are 29 (81%).
For the HoS, Nigeria has eight women of the 36 (22%), while the men have 28 (78%). For the commissioners, the women are 138 of 802 (17%), and the men, 664 (83%).
All the 36 speakers of state legislatures are men. The only woman elected by her colleagues in Lagos was asked to return to her former seat as Deputy Speaker allegedly on the orders of President Bola Tinubu, while the removed speaker was returned. So women currently hold eight deputy speakership positions (22%), and men 28 (78%). Out of the 36 Chief Judges in Nigeria, 14 are women (39%), while 22 are men (61%). The country has 991 state legislators, with 49 women (5%), and 942 men (95%).
Also, data from 671 of the 774 local governments in the country for chairmanship positions, showed that women occupy 22 positions (3%), and males 649 (97%).
The study revealed that in Nigeria, it is still a long walk to the 35 per cent women inclusion in line with its National Gender Policy.
Federal Government
Federal Executive Council (FEC):
The President, Vice President, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation are males, while the Head of Civil Service of the Federation is a female.
There are 48 ministers appointed by President Bola Tinubu, comprising nine females (19 per cent) and 39 males (81 per cent). Analysis of the figures revealed that the 52 cabinet members, comprise 10 females (19 per cent) and 42 males (81 per cent).
Senate
The Senate has 109 senators, comprising four females (4 per cent) and 105 males (96 per cent). One female senator each was produced by Lagos, Rivers, and Kogi States, as well as Federal Capital Territory. One of the female senators, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently on suspension.
The Senate President and Deputy Senate President are males.
House of Representatives
In the House of Representatives with 360 lawmakers, 16 are women (4 per cent) while the males are 344 (96 per cent.) The female members of the House of Representatives were produced by Anambra (3), Benue (2), Rivers (2), and Yobe (2), while Oyo, Lagos, Imo, Delta, Borno, Bayelsa, and Ogun produced one each. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, are males.
Judiciary
The Chief Justice of Nigeria and President of the Court of Appeal are female. But the President of the Federal High Court and National Industrial Court are males.
North Central
In this zone with six states, of the 435 positions analysed, females hold 56 positions (13 per cent) while males have 379 (87 per cent).
Benue
The governor and deputy governor of Benue State are both men, while the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) is a woman. The Head of Service (HoS) is a man. Also, three females are among the 17 serving commissioners, representing 18 per cent for women and 82 per cent for men.
The state has 23 LGAs, all chaired by men. The state legislature has 30 members, comprising two women (7 per cent), and 28 men (93 per cent). The Speaker is a man, while the Deputy Speaker is a female. The state Chief Judge (CJ) is a man.
Kogi
In Kogi State, the governor and deputy governor are men. The SSG is a woman while the HoS is male. Among the 19 commissioners, three are women (16 per cent and 16 are men (84 per cent) The state has 21 LGAs, with one of the chairmen female (5 per cent) while 20 are men (95%). The Speaker is male and the Deputy Speaker is female. The state legislature has 25 members – two women (8%) and 23 men (92%). The state Chief Judge is a man.
Kwara
Kwara State has men as governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS. There’re 22 commissioners, with 11 women and 11 men – 50 per cent of each gender. There are 16 LGAs, with one female chairman (6%), and 15 male chairmen (94%). The state legislature has 24 members – five females (21%) and 19 males (79%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The Chief Judge is male.
Nasarawa
In Nasarawa State, the governor, deputy governor and SSG are men. The HoS is a woman. Of 16 commissioners, three are women (19%) and 13 are men (81%). All the 13 council chairmen are men. The state legislature has 24 members, consisting of one female (4%) and 23 males (96%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men, but the Chief Judge is a woman.
Niger
Niger State has men as governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS. Also, there are 30 commissioners, comprising seven females (23 %) and 23 men (77%). All the 25 councils are headed by men.
The state legislature has 27 members, composed of one woman (4%) and 26 men (96%). The Speaker is a man, while the deputy speaker and chief judge are women.
Plateau
In Plateau State, the governor is a man while the deputy governor is a woman. The SSG and HoS are men. There are five commissioners, with five women (26%) and 14 men (74%). The 17 LGAs are headed by male chairmen. The House of Assembly has 24 members, comprising two females (8%) and 22 males (92%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are males. The CJ is a male.
North East
A total of 418 positions were looked into in this zone with six states, out of which females hold 28 (7%) and males 390 (93%).
Adamawa
Adamawa State has a male governor and female deputy governor. The SSG and HoS are men. There are 25 commissioners, comprising three women (12%) and 22 men (88%). The state has 21 LGAs, and all the chairmen are men. The state legislature has 25 members, out of which one is a woman (4%), while the men are 24 (96%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a woman.
Bauchi:
In Bauchi State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are males. Out of 18 commissioners in the state, three are females (17%) and 15 are males (83%). The state has 20 LGAs all chaired by men.. The state legislature has 31 seats, with men occupying all of them. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are males. The CJ is a male.
Borno
The governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS in Borno State are men. There are 17 commissioners, comprising two women (12%) and 17 men (88%). The state has 27 LGAs, and all the chairmen are men. The state legislature has 28 seats, all occupied by men. The CJ is a man.
Gombe
In Gombe State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are men. There are 17 commissioners, comprising two women (12 per cent) and 15 men (88%)>
The state has 11 LGAs, with two female chairmen (18%) and nine men (82%).
The state legislature has 24 members, and they are all men. The CJ is a female.
Taaba
The governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS in Taraba State are men. There are 22 commissioners – eight women (36 %) and 14 men (64%). The state has 16 LGAs, all chaired by men. There are 24 members of the House of Assembly, with two women (8%) and 22 men (92%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is also a man.
Yobe
In Yobe State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are men. Of the 25 commissioners, two are women (8%) and 23, men (92%). There are 17 LGAs, all chaired by men. The state legislature has 24 seats, all occupied by men. The CJ is a man.
North West
This zone comprises seven states. A total of 525 positions were examined, out of which females hold 22 (4%) and males 503(96%).
Jigawa
The governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are male. The state has 17 commissioners, comprising two women (12 per cent) and 15 men (88%). All the 27 LGAs are chaired by men. The state has all 30 lawmakers as men. The CJ is a man.
Kaduna
In Kaduna State, the governor is male while the deputy governor is female. The SSG is a man, and the HoS, female. Out of 16 commissioners, three are females (19%) and 13 are males (81%). The state has 23 LGAs, and one of the chairmen is a woman (4%), while 22 are men (96%).
The state legislature has 34 seats, comprising two females (6%) and 32 males (94%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a man.
Kano
The governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS in Kano State are men. There are two female commissioners. The state has 44 LGAs, with a woman as chairman (2%), while the other 43 are men (98%). The state legislature has 40 seats, with men occupying all of them. The CJ is also a man.
Katsina
In Katsina State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are all men. Out of 21 commissioners, two are females (10%) and 19 are men (90%). The state has 13 LGAs, all chaired by men. There are 34 seats in the House of Assembly, all chaired by men. The CJ is a man.
Kebbi
The governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS in Kebbi State are men. Of the 20 commissioners, two are women (8%) and 24 are men (92%). The state has 21 LGAs, all chaired by men. The state legislature has 24 seats, all occupied by men. The CJ is a man.
Sokoto:
In Sokoto State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are all men. There are three women (11%) out of the 27 commissioners, while 24 are men (89%). The state has 23 LGAs, all chaired by men. The state legislature has 30 seats, all occupied by men. The CJ is also a man.
Zamfara
The governor of Zamfara State, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are all men. Of the 18 commissioners, two are women (11%) and 16 are men (89%). The state has 14 LGAs. The state legislature has 24 seats, all occupied by males. The CJ is a female.
South East
There are five states in the zone. A total of 386 positions were looked into, comprising 43 females (11%), and 343 males (89%)
Abia
In Abia State,, the governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS are men. There are 23 commissioners, comprising three women (13%) and 20 men (87%). In the state’s 17 LGAs, one chairman is a woman (6%), and the 16 others are men (94%). The state legislature has 24 seats, all populated by men. The CJ is a female.
Anambra
The governor, deputy governor, and SSG are men, ales, while the HoS is a female. There are 20 commissioners – seven women (35%) and 13 men (65%). The state has 21 LGAs, with one female chairman (5%), and 20 male chairmen (95%). The state legislature has 30 seats, with one seat occupied by a woman (3%) and 29 occupied by men (97%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is also a man.
Ebonyi
In Ebonyi State, the governor is a man. The deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are women. There are 35 commissioners – five women (14%) and 30 males (86%). The state has 13 LGAs, and one of the chairmen is a woman (8%). The other 12 are men (92%). The state legislature has 24 seats, consisting of two females (8%) and 22 males(92%). The Speaker is a man, and his deputy a woman. The CJ is a male.
Enugu
The governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS in Enugu State are men. Out of 20 commissioners, four are women (20%) and 16 males (80%). The state has 17 LGAs, all chaired by men. ales. The state legislature has 24 seats, with two seats occupied by females (8%) and 22 others by males (92%). Both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are males. The CJ is a male.
Imo
In Imo State, the governor is a man, while the deputy governor is a woman. The SSG and HoS are women. There are 29 commissioners, comprising four women (14%) and 25 men (85%). The state has 27 LGAs and two of the chairmen are women(7%), and 25 are men (93%).
The state legislature has 27 seats, all occupied by men. The CJ is a woman.
South-South
A total of 428 positions were examined across the six states in the zone, having 48 females (11%) and 380 males (89%).
Akwa Ibom
The governor of Akwa Ibom State is a man, while the deputy governor is a woman. The SSG and HoS are men. There are 25 commissioners, comprising four women (16%) and 21 males (84%).
The state has 31 LGAs, chaired by four females (13%), and 27 males (87%). The state legislature has 26 seats, consisting of four woman (15%) and 22 men (85%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a female.
Bayelsa
In Bayelsa State, the governor, deputy governor, and SSG are men, while the HoS is a woman. There are 29 commissioners, comprising four women (14%) and 25 men (86%). The state has eight councils, chaired by one woman (12%), and seven men (88%).
The state legislature has 24 seats, consisting of two women (8%) and 22 men (92%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a female.
Cross River
The governor of Cross River State, deputy governor, SSG and HoS are men. There are 36 commissioners, comprising eight female (22%) and 28 men (78%). The state has 18 LGAs, chaired by three women (17%), and 15 men (83%). The state legislature has 25 seats, occupied by one woman (4%) and 24 men (96%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men.
The CJ is a woman.
Delta
In Delta State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG and HoS are men. There are 32 commissioners, comprising three women (9%) and 29 men (91%). The state has 25 LGAs, all chaired by men. The state legislature has 29 seats, having two women (7%) and 27 men (93%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a woman.
Edo
The governor of Edo State, deputy governor, SSG and HoS are all men. So far, there are six commissioners, comprising one female (17%) and five men (83%). The state has 18 councils, chaired by two women (11%), and 16 men (89%). At the time of filing this report, the chairmen of the councils have been suspended by the state legislature. The state legislature has 24 seats, occupied by one woman (4%) and 23 men (96%). The Speaker is a man, while the Deputy Speaker is woman. The CJ is a male.
Rivers
Prior to the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State on Tuesday March 18, 2025 by President Bola Tinubu, the 2023 general elections produced a male as governor and a woman as deputy governor. The SSG and HoS were male. The state has 23 councils, and all their chairmen have been sacked by the Supreme Court.
The state legislature has 32 seats, with no female lawmaker, though on suspension due to the emergency rule. The CJ is a man.
South West
The zone has six states. A total of 453 positions were perused, comprising 59 females (13%) and 394 males (87%).
Ekiti
The governor of Ekiti State is a man, while the deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are women. There are 22 commissioners, comprising nine females (36%) and 13 males (64%). The state has 16 councils, with one woman chaired by one female (6%), and 15 men (94%). The state legislature has 26 seats, comprising six women (23%) and 20 men (64%). The Speaker is a man and the Deputy Speaker a woman. The CJ is a man.
Lagos
In Lagos State, the governor and the deputy governor are men. The SSG is a woman, while the HoS is a man. Some special advisers have equal status with commissioners, and are heading ministries. There’re 42 commissioners and Special Advisers, comprising nine women (21%), and 33 men (79%). The state has 20 LGAs, chaired by one man (5%), and 19 men (95%). The state legislature has 40 seats, comprising three women (8%) and 37 men (92%). The Speaker is a man, while the Deputy Speaker is a woman. The CJ is a man.
Ogun
The governor of Ogun State is a man, while the deputy governor is a woman. The SSG and HoS are men. There are 20 commissioners, comprising three women (15%) and 17 men (85%). The state has 20 LGAs, chaired by one woman (5%), and 19 men (95%). The state legislature has 26 seats, consisting of two women (8%) and 24 men (92%). The Speaker is a man, while the Deputy Speaker is a woman. The CJ is a woman.
Ondo
In Ondo State, the governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are men. As at the end of March 2025, the governor has appointed two commissioners – one man and one woman, representing 50 per cent for each gender. The state has 18 LGAs, all chaired by men. The state legislature has 26 seats, comprising three women (12%) and 23 men (88%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a man.
Osun
The governor, deputy governor, SSG, and HoS are men. Among the 28 commissioners, one is a woman (4%) while 27 are men (96%). The state has 30 LGAs. There’re no clear statistics on the chairmanship seats owing to political brouhaha among the leading political parties.
The state legislature has 26 seats, all occupied by men. The CJ is a woman.
Oyo
In Oyo State, the governor and deputy governor are men, while the SSG and HOS are women. There are 16 commissioners comprising four women (25%) and 12 men (75%). The state has 33 LGAs, all chaired by men.
The state legislature has 32 seats, with two female lawmakers (6%) and 30 male (94%). The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are men. The CJ is a woman.