“No country can truly develop if half its population is left behind.”

⁃Justine Greening

That was vintage Justine Greening, a former Secretary of State for Education and also of Women and Equalities in the United Kingdom. During her reign, she continuously fought and advocated for women’s and girls’ rights across the globe advancing cogent points on why women and girls shouldn’t be subjected to inhumane conditions. Through the power of consistent advocacy, she succeeded in pushing the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child marriage, gender inequality and many other ills in many countries.

She once argued that when women are losing out, everyone is losing out. “And at a time when there is so much economic uncertainty in global markets, the world just can’t afford to lock women out of the workplace. We need to be in the board rooms, in the offices, in industry,” she said.

She also said that the world shouldn’t just wait for girls’ and women’s economic empowerment to steadily happen, saying “we should be looking to turbo charge it so that it speeds up at an unprecedented rate.”

The Nigerian Situation

Women have not always had it rosy in this part of the world. It has been rough and tough. Appointments and recruitments take place with scant regard for the womenfolk. Sometimes, it is 100 percent male dominance and no one ever bothers to raise a red flag or  question such insensitivity. Everyone just moves on as if it is normal.

Because it’s been decades since Nigeria as a member of the United Nations (UN) signed and ratified the various relevant international instruments, treaties and conventions without reservation. These instruments have always emphasised that member nations put in place all the necessary mechanisms needed to eliminate gender discriminations, ensure equality and human dignity to all, men and women.

The National Gender Policy (NGP) for a 35% Affirmative Action has been in existence in Nigeria since 2006. It’s a policy that demands that 35% of women be involved in all governance processes. But somehow, the NGP is recognises, yet it is not practiced as the structures and processes to use are not put in place.

Despite the consistent campaigns and advocacy for increased women’s political inclusion, the recent statistics showed that Nigeria ranks 178 out of 182 countries regarding female representation in national parliaments.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as of January 2025, only 3.9% of seats in Nigeria’s House of Representatives and 2.8% in the Senate are occupied by women. This is nearly four years since a Federal High Court judgement in 2021 called on the government to enforce 35% representation of women in appointive positions. The ruling is yet  to be obeyed.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a promise in his election manifesto to ensure over 35% of his appointees are women but his words haven’t matched his actions. Hence, as of October 2024, only 17% of positions in the federal cabinet are held by women, which is far below the 35% target. It’s clear that while the intentions are there, the actions are different for now.

The federal government however recently announced what looks like a ray of hope for women emancipation in Nigeria. Speaking to  journalists in Abuja recently, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, revealed that women made up over 35 percent of recruits into agencies under the Ministry in 2024. Some of which include the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Fire Service (FFS).

“In 2024, we ensured that a minimum of 35 percent of new recruits across all services under our watch were women, reinforcing our dedication to gender balance and equality,” the Minister stated.

Last Line

The recent development is a laudable and commendable one. But is it still a far cry from the destination. It is still a drop in the ocean. It is not yet near global best practices. The federal government should therefore see this as a means to an end and not an end in itself.

What about other agencies across the country? What about the big guns like CBN , NNPC, NPA etc? Do they also keep 35 percent of their recruitment for women? What about the National Assembly? What about political party positions? What about Government Houses? What of the Presidential Villa? How many of these big places are women calling the shot? How many of these places are women occupying key positions?

Nigerian women participate more during voter registration, mobilisation, education, rallies and actual voting. But when it comes occupying the positions, land mines are planted on the way for them. Deliberate steps must be taken to address this.

While we must acknowledge the fact that the reservation of at least 35 percent of the vacancies for women in the recent recruitment exercise is worth celebrating, the government must use this as a launchpad to do more.