A major push to increase the representation of women and Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria’s parliament is taking shape, with President Bola Tinubu preparing to send two executive bills to the National Assembly.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, saying the proposed legislation would create additional seats for both groups at the federal and state levels.
The initiative could introduce a new pathway into elective office for women and PWDs without taking away the existing constituencies contested during general elections.
Abbas made the disclosure at a reception organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in honour of Prof Justin Green, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.
According to the Speaker, the proposed women’s reserved-seat bill is currently undergoing final adjustments at the Ministry of Justice before it is transmitted to lawmakers.
He added that a separate executive bill seeking dedicated representation for Persons with Disabilities is expected to reach the National Assembly within the next few weeks.
Under the women’s proposal, an additional seat would be created for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The proposal would also create three additional seats for women in every State House of Assembly, with one seat representing each senatorial district.
The arrangement is expected to remain in place for four general election cycles, or 16 years, before undergoing a review.
The proposal is part of the ongoing constitutional reform process and seeks to address Nigeria’s historically low representation of women in elected positions.
The 10th National Assembly currently has four female senators and 16 women in the House of Representatives, according to legislative reform data.
For Persons with Disabilities, a separate bill, HB 1931, is already before the House. It seeks to provide special representation for PWDs in the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and local government legislative councils.
At the federal level, the proposal provides for one additional PWD representative from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Abbas said the measures form part of efforts by the 10th National Assembly to broaden participation in governance.
He also praised the working relationship between the Senate and House of Representatives, saying both chambers have continued to collaborate on matters of national importance.
The proposed bills will still have to pass through the required legislative and constitutional processes before they can become law.
The development was welcomed by Green, who commended Abbas and other National Assembly leaders for their efforts to improve the representation of women and PWDs in parliament.
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