The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, CFR, has warned that Nigeria’s low representation of women in governance can lead to underutilization of talent, limited innovation, and lost opportunities for economic growth. Speaking at a legislative evening on women’s political representation, Kalu cited research suggesting that Nigeria could gain up to 9% in GDP growth by 2025 with improved women’s participation.
Kalu lamented that Nigeria remains among the lowest globally for women’s representation in parliament, with only 20 out of 469 National Assembly seats held by women. He attributed this to the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) electoral system, party nomination practices, and entrenched socio-cultural norms that create obstacles for women seeking legislative office.
The Deputy Speaker expressed optimism that the Special Seats Bill, which he sponsored, will address chronic underrepresentation by creating additional women-only seats in the National and State Assemblies. He assured that the additional cost of 74 women legislators in the National Assembly would be less than 1% of the National Budget and less than 5% of the National Assembly Budget.
Kalu emphasized that legal and constitutional measures to improve women’s representation deserve urgent, broad-based support in the interest of Nigeria’s democracy, development, and global standing. He expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, would assent to the bill, given his gender-friendly stance.
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