Women march in Abuja, demand passage of reserved Seats Bill

By Favour Ulebor

Abuja—No fewer than 750 women from across Nigeria, yesterday, staged a peace walk in Abuja, demanding that lawmakers pass the long-awaited Special Seats Reserved for Women Bill aimed at increasing female representation in governance.

The women, drawn from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, gathered at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development before proceeding to Transcorp Hilton for the public hearing.

The “Special Seats Bill” seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to reserve 10 percent of seats in the National Assembly for women and five percent for persons with disabilities (PWDs) across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT.

Speaking during the rally, Chief Executive Officer of Women Radio, Mrs. Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, said: “The public hearing on the Reserved Seats Bill marks a historic moment for Nigerian women and for our democracy. This Bill is not about tokenism, it is about fairness, inclusion, and ensuring that the voices of half of our population are no longer sidelined in governance. Around the world, countries that have embraced reserved seats have seen stronger democracies and better development outcomes.

“Today, Nigerian women are saying clearly: we are ready to lead, to serve, and to shape the future of our nation. The passage of this Bill will not only strengthen representation but will also inspire the next generation of girls to believe that leadership truly belongs to them as much as to men.

“We urge our lawmakers to listen to the voices of women across the country and make history by passing this Bill. Nigeria cannot afford to leave its women behind any longer,” she said.

Former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ms. Ene Obi, described the bill as very critical.She said: “The bill is very critical, we are here to say a big thank you to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and its members and we believe we can make a difference.

“We are here today to say women representation is the ultimate, this bill will encourage women to bring in their issues, the concern of women is not about them but their children. We are here and we mean business, equality for all our children is what we want and we mean business,” she said.

Also speaking, National President of the League of Women Voters, Mrs. Irene Awuna, said: “We are all here with signatures that we have governors from the 36 states, over one million signatures to be presented at today’s public hearing and their end of citizens of this action for the special seats reserved for women at the National Assembly.

“This is to show that apart from the civil society in Nigeria, the Nigerian women have owned this bill and have shown they believe in the bill.”

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