Women Deserve More Than 35% Political Representation – Minister

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called for a major shift in Nigeria’s approach to women’s political representation, declaring that women would no longer settle for the 35 percent affirmative action target declared in Beijing.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim made the assertion yesterday in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, when she addressed participants at the 26th National Council on Women Affairs and Social Development.

According to the minister, women should rather redirect their demands for  50-50 representation and canvass for stronger political and economic participation for Nigerian women forthwith.

The minister said that the 35 per cent affirmative action provisions contained in various legal and policy frameworks had failed to translate into adequate representation of women in elective and appointive positions.

According to her, the time had come for women to move beyond demands for limited affirmative action and push for parity in political participation.

“We don’t want 35 per cent anymore. We want 50-50,” she declared.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim said women’s economic empowerment could not be separated from political participation, stressing that women must have a voice in the institutions where policies and decisions affecting their lives were made.

She advocated for a stronger enforcement of affirmative action provisions within political parties and other institutions, arguing that, existing commitments had often remained on paper.

The minister cited provisions within political party structures requiring greater representation of women in leadership positions, but lamented that such provisions were not being sufficiently implemented.

She also pointed to Nigeria’s commitments under international frameworks, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which promote affirmative action and greater participation of women in decision-making.

Hajiya Sulaiman-Ibrahim said financial constraints remained one of the major barriers preventing women from effectively participating in politics, and proposed the establishment of a women’s political trust fund to help reduce the cost burden associated with political contests.

“It is not enough to have women contesting. Women must know what they are contesting for. They must be very, very strong so that they can stand to compete,” she said.

She also called for the deliberate development of a pipeline of female political leaders through training, mentorship and capacity-building programmes.

The minister, however, warned against viewing men as obstacles to women’s political advancement, saying male political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other influential stakeholders must be treated as partners in the struggle for gender equality.

“Parity will not be delivered only by women alone, for the simple reason that women do not presently hold most of the gates,” she said.

Hajiya Sulaiman-Ibrahim explained that political party leaders, traditional rulers, faith leaders and delegates who participate in party primaries remain predominantly male, making their support critical to achieving greater female representation.

She therefore urged women’s organisations and civil society groups to engage men and other power brokers in building a political system that provides greater opportunities for women.

The minister also called for stronger collaboration between government and civil society organisations, saying women’s advocacy efforts would be more effective if stakeholders operated as a united bloc.

She further urged state commissioners for women affairs to strengthen women’s organisations at the grassroots, particularly through the Power of 10 Million Women initiative.