By Ameh Gabriel
ABUJA, July 9, 2025 The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has made a passionate call for the urgent passage of the Special Seats Bill for Women, describing it as a long-overdue constitutional reform and a critical step towards inclusive governance and sustainable national development.
Speaking at the First Interactive Dialogue Session on the Special Seats Bill for Women in Abuja, the Minister praised the leadership of the National Assembly for putting women’s political representation at the center of legislative discourse.
“This bold inclusion signals a new era of inclusive lawmaking, where equity and justice are not sidelined but championed,” she said.
The Minister commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, for prioritizing the bill, and paid special tribute to the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for his unwavering advocacy in mobilizing support for the legislation.
She also extended appreciation to the Chairpersons of the Women Affairs Committees Senator Ireti Kingibe and Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, as well as the Chair of Women in Parliament, Hon. Fati Talba for their tireless efforts in advancing the rights of women in Nigeria.
Expressing gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the Minister lauded their commitment to gender equity through the Renewed Hope Agenda, which she said is already paving the way for transformational change.
Highlighting the stark gender disparity in the Nigerian legislature, the Minister noted that only 21 out of 469 legislators in the 10th National Assembly are women – just 4.5% of the total. At the state level, only 48 women won seats in the 36 State Assemblies in the 2023 elections, with 13 states having no female legislators at all.
“In the chambers where laws are made, when voices rise on tax and trade, but fall silent on the pain of childbirth or the shame girls carry for bleeding in school – who will speak? If not women, who? If not now, when will justice finally come?” she asked powerfully.
The Minister emphasized that the Special Seats Bill is not a favour to women but a national imperative designed to correct historic imbalances and ensure that democracy works for all Nigerians.
“The Bill is about justice, representation, and the sustainable development of Nigeria. When women are at the table, families are stronger, policies are better informed, peace is nurtured, and nations prosper,” she declared.
She concluded by urging all stakeholders – lawmakers, civil society, media, and the Nigerian public to rally behind the bill and ensure its passage into law, stating:
“Let history remember this as the moment Nigeria chose wisdom over exclusion, and opened the door to 100 million dreams. The Special Seats Bill is not just a women’s cause. It is Nigeria’s opportunity. We must not lose it.”
