The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has pledged stronger institutional collaboration and legislative advocacy to remove barriers to women’s political participation in Nigeria.
The Director-General of NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, gave the assurance at the 30th anniversary conference of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV), held at the institute in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme, “Thirty Years Strong: Empowering Women’s Voices, Leadership and Democratic Participation—Celebrating the Past and Shaping the Future,” Sulaiman identified the proposed Special Seats Bill as a priority ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
He said Nigeria’s democratic development would remain incomplete as long as women continued to face structural barriers to political leadership.
READ ALSO: NILDS, Partners Rally Support For Women Parliamentary Representation
“The question is no longer whether women belong in leadership, but why systems still lock them out,” he said.
Sulaiman identified high political costs, patriarchal attitudes, exclusionary party structures, security concerns and resistance to gender-equity legislation as major obstacles confronting women seeking elective office.
He noted that women’s contributions to agriculture, local economies and community development had not translated into commensurate access to economic resources, political power and decision-making.
The NILDS Director-General cited women’s representation in the National Assembly following the 2023 general elections, which he put at approximately 3.62 per cent, as evidence of the challenge.
Calling for constitutional amendments and the swift passage of gender-responsive legislation, Sulaiman stressed that affirmative measures were necessary to expand women’s access to political institutions.
“Special seats and statutory party quotas are not favours; they are democratic imperatives,” he declared.
He said NILDS had expanded its role beyond legislative research to include strengthening democratic capacity, policy innovation, leadership development, gender inclusion and institutional reforms through partnerships with the National Assembly, government agencies, universities, civil society organisations and development partners.
Sulaiman disclosed that the institute had officially registered the Women in Governance Forum to connect current and former women politicians with experienced female leaders, facilitate mentorship and strengthen collective advocacy for gender-responsive legislation.
He also called for stronger strategic alliances through platforms such as the National Women Leaders Forum and initiatives including the Charter of Demands for Women in Politics.
Emphasising the need to translate advocacy into concrete outcomes, Sulaiman urged stakeholders to develop practical strategies to improve women’s representation and remove systemic barriers to leadership.
“We are not asking for charity, but demanding justice, equity and the right to shape the destiny of the nation we build daily with our sweat and labour,” he said.
As NILOWV marked three decades of advocacy, Sulaiman reaffirmed NILDS’ commitment to working with the organisation to build women’s leadership capacity and advance the Special Seats Bill.
He urged participants to conclude the conference with a practical blueprint for change, envisioning a political landscape where “leadership has no gender.”
Sulaiman stressed that sustained collaboration and legislative action were essential to advancing a more inclusive and equitable democratic future for Nigeria.
