On Inside Sources, Women Press Lawmakers to Pass Special Seats Bill

Prominent Nigerian women have thrown their weight behind the proposed Special Seats for Women Bill, describing it as a necessary step toward achieving equity and improving women’s representation in Nigeria’s political system. The issue formed the focus of discussion on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a programme on Channels Television, where the guests emphasised that […]

Prominent Nigerian women have thrown their weight behind the proposed Special Seats for Women Bill, describing it as a necessary step toward achieving equity and improving women’s representation in Nigeria’s political system.

The issue formed the focus of discussion on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a programme on Channels Television, where the guests emphasised that the proposal is not merely about increasing numbers in parliament but about strengthening governance through broader representation.

Speaking on the programme on Friday, Adedayo Benjamin-Laniyi, pioneer Mandate Secretary for Women Affairs in the Federal Capital Territory, described the bill as a critical intervention designed to address structural barriers that have historically limited women’s participation in politics.
According to her, the debate around the bill should be understood as a conversation about fairness and inclusive governance rather than preferential treatment.
“This is a special conversation. The fact is that when it comes to spotlighting women’s political participation and outcomes, the impact goes beyond diversity. It touches policy, national development, engagement and inclusion,” she said.
Benjamin-Laniyi stressed that the proposal seeks to amplify women’s voices in policymaking, ensuring that perspectives and interventions from women are formally represented in legislative processes.
“This is about equity — being able to bring not just a seat to the National Assembly but voices, points of view and interventions, not just a special seat,” she added.
She argued that waiting for natural political evolution to increase women’s representation through conventional electoral contests could take decades due to entrenched social and structural barriers.
“If we are going to wait for it to come out of elections, maybe in the next God knows how many years before that will happen. We are a patriarchal society. We have to set up a superstructure that brings the conversation into the National Assembly,” she said.
Benjamin-Laniyi also noted that the success of the proposal would depend heavily on strategic advocacy and engagement with lawmakers.
“It’s going to take strategic lobbying,” she added.
Also speaking on the programme, Oluwatosin Ajibade, founder of OloriSuperGal Media, emphasised the importance of sustained advocacy and public awareness in advancing the bill.
Ajibade said women must actively participate in shaping political narratives and policy debates, noting that greater representation in legislative bodies would enable more inclusive policymaking.
She explained that the proposed seats would provide an opportunity to bridge longstanding gaps in representation, while also encouraging more women to pursue political leadership.
Similarly, Oyebola Ayeni, registrar of Lead City University, Ibadan, highlighted the broader governance implications of the bill, stressing that inclusive institutions tend to produce more balanced and responsive policies.
Ayeni argued that increasing women’s presence in legislative spaces could contribute to more comprehensive national development strategies by incorporating perspectives that are often overlooked.
The special seats proposal has generated growing debate among policymakers and civil society groups in recent months, with advocates insisting that deliberate institutional reforms are necessary to address Nigeria’s persistent gender imbalance in political representation.
Supporters of the bill maintain that expanding women’s participation in the National Assembly of Nigeria would strengthen democratic governance by ensuring that legislative decisions better reflect the diversity of the country’s population.