…as Rep Ogbaea call for Swift Passage of Bill
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has renewed its commitment to advancing the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish Special Reserved Seats for Women in both the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. 
Chairman of the House Committee on Youths in Parliament, Rep. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, made this known while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ interactive session held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The session, convened by the Legislative Advocacy Committee on the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, was set up by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen to galvanise lawmakers and key stakeholders in support of the proposed legislation.
The bill aims to create 108 additional seats across federal and state legislatures, exclusively for women candidates, in a move designed to enhance gender representation and inclusion in governance.
During the event, the Committee on Youths in Parliament was officially inaugurated to spearhead advocacy campaigns, engage constituents, and lobby fellow legislators to back the bill’s passage.
Rep. Alao-Akala reaffirmed the committee’s full endorsement of the proposal, describing it as a “bold and necessary step” towards achieving gender balance in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“We are fully behind this initiative and will deploy every resource within our reach to ensure that the bill becomes law. Women deserve fair representation, and this is a practical way to make it happen.
“So I am happy that the goal was given to me. I am going to take it head on, I am going to ensure that every stone will be turned to ensure that we go into the bill and ensure that every layman can understand the clauses and also accept it.
“A lot of people that do not understand the bill, they feel the bill is going to affect the current position of the legislature, but it is not going to affect it.
“So those are the kind of sensitisation we will do for the people to understand this bill; it is a bill that will assist us in governance, assist us in development, and assist us in moving the country forward, locally and also in the international community.
“We are a country that supports women, not a country that discriminates; we are a country that understands the need of inclusiveness in governance,” he said.
Earlier, stakeholders, led by Mrs Ene Obi, Executive Director of the Ene Obi Centre for Development, expressed appreciation to the House of Representatives for its backing of the Women’s Reserved Seats Bill.
Mrs Obi lauded the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the Committee on Youths in Parliament, noting that their decision to champion the campaign for the bill was particularly heartening.
She observed that many of the young lawmakers had themselves benefited from the Not Too Young To Run Act, and were now paying it forward by supporting a cause aimed at widening democratic inclusion for women.
“It is encouraging to see this generation of leaders standing up for gender equity,.
“ust as the Not Too Young To Run law opened doors for youth participation, this bill will open the same doors for women across the country.
“So we are doing the same thing now to get the special seats bill passed; it is for our children to also contest and come into the parliament.
“What we have right now is a male Parliament across board and so we are, we are really excited that they have endorsed it, we are excited also by the promise by Senate President who said the 10th assembly will not throw women’s bill out now.
“This bill has a full support of the Speaker of the House of Representative, and we are indeed very grateful, and we are calling on everyone to be part of this history, because history is about being made, and we will appreciate all of the people to come on board,” she said.
Earlier, the Special Assistant to the Speaker on Women Affairs, Ms Yeside Olasimbo said that the endorsement and resolution to champion campaign for the bill was the right step in the right direction.
“They have endorsed the bill today, and I think it is the right step; they are taking this head on and saying that they are going to join us in the advocacy to lobby members and also assist us by reducing the stress of having to meet all 360 members at once.
“I am super excited and elated that they open their hands to us, this is a beautiful moment for Nigerian women,” she said.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Rep. Kafilat Ogbara, has called on Nigeria to seize the moment and take a decisive step towards genuine gender inclusion by passing the Constitution Alteration Bill that proposes special reserved seats for women in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Rep. Ogbara noted that although women’s political representation in Nigeria has historically been disappointing, the tide appears to be turning, with renewed political will from both the executive and legislative arms of government to redress the imbalance.
She explained that the proposed legislation which seeks to establish 108 additional elective seats exclusively for women is not merely about representation, but about strengthening the foundations of democracy and accelerating national growth and inclusivity.
“This is the time for Nigeria to make a bold statement to the world — that we value fairness, equality, and the contributions of women to national development. “
“Passing this bill will not only advance gender balance but also elevate our democratic standing globally.
“The historical trajectory has been a tragedy, but we are very positive and optimistic because the time we have is now.
“For a bill like this to pass, what we need most is political will—and we have that. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a gender-sensitive leader. He is the only president who has allowed his wife to contest the Senate seat three times, and today, she is a senator herself. The Vice President is a lawmaker, and so is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. These are people who understand the value of what this bill represents,” Ogbara declared.
The lawmaker said the bill is not just about gender parity but about enhancing Nigeria’s democratic credibility and ensuring that the nation speaks with a balanced voice in global affairs.
“This bill speaks to national development, inclusion, and our image at the international level.
“Many times, when we travel abroad for parliamentary engagements, we lose our right to vote on certain issues because we do not have the right quota of women in our delegations. The gender lens does not travel with usl,” she said.
Ogbara commended Speaker Abbas Tajudeen for his commitment to ensuring that the bill gets the necessary legislative attention, describing his leadership as progressive and inclusive. She also thanked members of the Legislative Advocacy Committee and other stakeholders for their persistence and sacrifice in pushing for women’s representation in governance.
“There is no better time than now. I appreciate everyone who has made the effort to be part of this process. We are optimistic that many of our members will support this bill, but we must continue to mobilise even more support to ensure its success”, she added.
