By Ndidiamaka Ede
The participation of women in politics in Nigeria, unlike in other countries, has continued to dwindle. Globally, participation of women in public life can be traced back to the 1920s when women’s suffrage was approved. Since then, women, with or without the right to vote have continued to engage in politics and leadership even though this engagement has been considered very low when compared to that of the men folk.
However, there are improvements in some countries. For instance, in Rwanda, going by the data released by the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) in January 2023, women’s participation in politics is approximately 60 percent, while in Cuba, it is 53 percent. This sharply departs from what obtains in Nigeria, where the percentage of women in politics is currently around seven percent.
From 1999 when the democratic governance returned to Nigeria till today, only 157 women have been elected into the National assembly. There have been only two females as governors, both of whom were not directly elected into office. They are Virginia Etiaba, who assumed office as Anambra State Governor because Peter Obi was impeached in 2006. Her tenure lasted for just three months following the restoration of Obi’s mandate by the Supreme Court. Another one is Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, who served as the acting governor of Kaduna State, when Governor Nasir El-Rufai went on leave after he allegedly tested positive to COVID-19 in March 2020.
Although Nigeria has signed several treaties and statutes to ensure women’s participation in politics, the 2023 general election showed that these policies, including the National Gender Policy, which was formulated to promote a 35 percent affirmative action for women, who are demanding 35 percent involvement of women in all governance processes, remained on paper.
Reports showed that about 92 women contested for the Senate in the February 25, 2023 general elections, with only three emerging victorious. Among the 286 who contested for seats in the House of Representatives, only 15 were declared winners.
Additionally, 10 women contested for gubernatorial positions, 24 ran for deputy governorship positions. Although no woman is occupying the office of the governor of any state, there are approximately six deputy governors. At the grassroots level, there are about 774 local governments in the country, and almost all the offices in these local governments are dominated by men.
This suggests that, for the most part, women have participated in politics by assuming roles as first ladies and, to some extent, deputy governors and deputy chairpersons, with a few occupying the chairperson positions.
This indicates that one of the reasons many women have not been involved in politics is the prevailing cultural and societal norms that expect women to be subservient to men; a stereotype that is deeply ingrained, not only in men but also in women themselves.
It was recorded that it took hours to convince Mrs Etiaba to assume the role of governor in Anambra when Obi was impeached. She said: “The governor is my boss and remains my boss.” Many community leaders then also criticized her for accepting the role of governor.
Nigeria’s population as released by world meter’s elaboration on Friday, September 15, 2023, stood at 224,905,043, with women making up 49.4 percent, and men 51.9 percent. Interestingly, the ratio of females to males is almost equal, but this equality is not reflected in politics. This indicates that during elections, women also fail to support and vote for themselves.
Commenting on the development, a United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, said: “Nigeria has produced many women of excellence across the world in the private sector but in public life, Nigeria lags behind most African countries.”
This is why the CEO of Host writer, Mercy Abang, said that the low number of women in elective and appointive positions in Nigeria is directly proportional to the level of development.
Since 1960, Nigeria has faced bad leadership, military coups, and wars that have resulted in the depreciation of the standard of living of Nigerians. After the transition to civilian government, there were high hopes of improvements but alas, corruption, electoral malpractices, unemployment, penury and insecurity have continued to make life miserable for Nigerian citizens, underscoring the urgent need for good leaders and not just politicians.
Women have so far shown, both in private and public sectors, that they possess great leadership qualities. Women have shown that they are great leaders, who are not after the government’s funds but concerned about the people’s welfare. Evidence has shown that women, like men, are also interested in the affairs and good living conditions of the people.
It was recorded that Mrs. Etiaba, though she lasted for just three months in office, flagged off several road projects and signed the Anambra State Child Rights Bill into law. She put an end to an attempt to stop Igbo language and culture, among other progress she made as a governor.
Funmilayo Ransom-Kuti is an activist, political campaigner, and founder of the Nigeria Women’s Union. Margaret Ekpo, among other women in Nigeria, made waves in their service to humanity.
Not a few believe that more women should get involved in Nigerian politics because women are not after pecuniary gains but concerned about quality leadership. For them to display their leadership skills in developing this nation, politics must be involved. It is pertinent to note that politicians who are not leaders cannot improve the welfare of the people.
Naturally, women use empathy rather than sympathy in their leadership role. For this reason, they are great leaders. In the estimation of critical observers, because there is a natural bond between women and children, allowing them to easily understand what people go through, women are always championing good health and child rights. They are always thinking of policies aimed at improving the living conditions of the people.
More women’s inclusion in politics is a true propagation of democracy because gender inequality cannot represent true democracy. Gender equality stipulates the involvement of every member of society, directly or indirectly, in the decision-making of a country. Proper representation means the representation of both genders. For Nigeria to be democratic in practice, a high percentage of women must be in politics.
Psychologically, women understand themselves better, and are in the best position to represent themselves well. For instance, the issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) is at a high rate in the country, and women have continued to advocate for policies to help curb the scourge, as well as other evils against women such as female’s circumcision, and fight against such policies that are not favorable to them.
The library of congress reported that on March 15, 2015, the Nigerian Senate voted down the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bills. Imagine if more women were in the House, more people would have voted for the bills.
For the protection of women and even children’s interest, more women should get involved in politics. Women are accommodating. The family, as the smallest unit of society, has proven the ability of women to accommodate others as they are married out of their biological homes, change their names, religion/tribe, and live with strangers.
Among many reasons leadership fails in Nigeria are ethnicity, nepotism, diverse religion, and tribalism among others. More women in politics will encourage collaboration and accommodation across all sectors of life in Nigeria, thereby quashing unequal representation, tribalism, and ethnic sentiments.
Also, one thing that brings about confidence in the government and a certain level of legitimacy in a country is the rate of accessibility, accountability, and transparency displayed by the government. Factually, women are highly transparent, accountable and they are accessible. This can be seen in the role mothers play in families, private sectors, non-governmental organizations, and as first ladies in the country. Consequently, more involvement of women in politics will not only bring development but also peace, which is one of the measurements of a developed country.
More women involved in developing Nigeria will bring about a good image for the country. It will also make their fellow women internationally partner with them and bring about more development in the country.
The saying has always been that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow. More women need to be involved in Nigerian politics to serve as role models for young girls. Without this, even in the next generation, only males will continue to dominate political positions in Nigeria.
The fear has always been that a woman who is engrossed in politics will not neglect her motherhood role, as such a person will be unavailable for the family. There are those who argue that the success of women in politics predispose them to disrespect their husbands. But, it is clear that women have been endowed with the ability to multitask, are naturally submissive, and not even politics will take away this from them.
Besides, being submissive does not entail keeping quiet over the neglect of one’s rights. Getting involved in politics will certainly not prevent women from carrying out other responsibilities.
Again, people should know that God’s purpose for creating women is beyond taking care of children and nursing babies. Every woman is a symbol of peace. Women are organized and observant, thus capable of handling public funds and resources effectively.
Women are supportive, so their involvement in Nigeria political landscape will not only bring about good leadership and substantial development in the country but also support for the improvement of lives in Nigeria.
Many critical observers agree it is high time women got more involved in Nigerian politics. But charity, they say, begins at home and the Nigerian women population should also see the need for voting for people of same gender vying for elective positions. In the estimation of many, if women should believe in themselves, men will do the same by supporting them because the fight for development and democracy should not be a one-gender affair.
The current administration should strive to sign all bills that will help more women get involved in politics as this will aid collaborative efforts in making Nigeria a better nation.
