From Fred Itua, Abuja
National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Director General, Abubakar Suleiman, has said less than seven per cent of women have been represented in elective and appointive positions in Nigeria since 1999, despite the 35 per cent affirmative action on women.
He disclosed this during a trainer workshop for NILDS staff on gender mainstreaming, facilitated by the UN women.
It is also expected that the workshop will train NILDS staff to improve the institutional capacity in gender policy analysis, equip them with knowledge on gender mainstreaming principles, methodologies, and tools, integrate gender perspectives into NILDS policies, programmes, and activities, resulting in more inclusive and gender-responsive initiatives, improve the quality and relevance of NILDS research outputs and publications with a focus on addressing gender gaps and promoting women empowerment, strengthen institutional commitment to gender equality and women empowerment within NILDS, fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity.
Suleiman, former minister of National Planning, said: “It is, indeed, worrisome that despite the extant legal framework that recommends 35 per cent affirmative action of women participation, available data reveals on the average, women participation/representation in governance since the advent of democratic rule in 1999 is less than seven per cent. The challenge facing all advocates of gender inclusivity in politics today is the wide gap between shared values reflected in the national and international policies and practices.
“Despite concerted efforts made by the government, non-governmental organisations, donor agencies and international partners towards ensuring increased participation and representation of women in politics and governance, there remains a continuous decline in women’s representation and participation in politics and governance.
“I am optimistic NILDS is strategically positioned to ensure women secure wider participation in governance by guiding the policy makers to be able to make informed and evidence-based policies to enhance gender participation/representation in governance in Nigeria. However, we need to upscale our skills and competencies to effectively achieve this objective,” he said.