The Towards Inclusive Governance in Nigeria (TIGN) project, funded by the Open Society Foundation, is a bold initiative working to increase women's participation in government leadership. For far too long, Nigerian women have been marginalized across all areas of life-socially, culturally, economically, and most crucially, politically. This is particularly glaring in the political sphere, where key decisions and policies that impact every facet of life are made. Since 1999, women’s representation in both the Senate and House of Representatives has remained shockingly low.
To address this, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), dedicated to closing gender gaps in governance, launched a Strategic Litigation Initiative with support from other CSOs. The goal? To push for a judicial interpretation of the Nigerian Constitution, particularly Section 42, to enforce women’s inclusion in leadership and decision-making roles in Nigeria’s democracy.
After multiple adjournment, on April 6th, the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a landmark ruling in favour of Nigerian women-a major victory for gender equality. However, this victory hasn’t yet translated into meaningful change, as the implementation of the ruling remains slow and women’s representation in leadership roles is still disappointingly low.
As part of the TIGN project, several female politicians shared their experiences and challenges, highlighting the uphill battle for women seeking a seat at the decision-making table. Their stories serve as a powerful reminder that the fight for gender parity in governance is far from over-but with continued effort, progress is within reach.
Негізгі бет For DEMOCRACY to strive, you must have strong institution not strong people -Hon Nnenna Elendu Ukeje
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