Gender Equity In Nigerian Governance and Policymaking

Introduction 

Good governance depends not only on the quality of decisions being made, but also on who is present when those decisions are made. When political institutions exclude large sections of society, they also exclude valuable knowledge, experience and talent.

Women remain significantly under-represented in Nigeria’s political institutions. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women currently occupy approximately 3.6 percent of seats in Nigeria’s House of Representatives and 7.3 percent in the Senate. The situation is similarly concerning at the state level: only 48 women were elected to the country’s 993 State Houses of Assembly constituencies in the 2023 general election. 

These figures reveal more than a numerical imbalance. They point to structural barriers that limit who can contest elections, influence legislation and participate in decisions about public resources. People with disabilities, low-income communities and other historically under-represented groups encounter related barriers, often compounded by gender.

Gender equity in governance is therefore not simply a women’s issue. It is a question of democratic representation, institutional effectiveness and national development.

What Does Gender Equity Mean?  

Gender equality and gender equity are closely connected, but they are not identical.

Gender equality means that people of all genders have the same rights, opportunities and legal status. Gender equity recognises that people do not always begin from the same social, economic or political position. It therefore seeks to identify and remove the barriers that prevent some people from participating on fair terms.

Giving every aspiring political candidate exactly the same support may appear equal. However, that approach does not account for unequal access to campaign finance, political networks, security, media coverage, education or family support. Equity responds to these differences by providing the specific measures people need to compete fairly.

Such measures may include accessible nomination processes, protection from political violence, leadership development, fair access to campaign resources and temporary affirmative-action policies.

Equity is not about lowering standards or giving positions to unqualified people. It is about ensuring that qualified people are not excluded by barriers unrelated to their competence. Properly pursued, equity creates the conditions required to achieve meaningful equality.

Why Gender Equity Matters In Nigerian Governance

Better representation strengthens democracy

Women constitute roughly half of Nigeria’s population, yet their presence in elected office remains extremely limited. A democracy cannot be fully representative when such a large proportion of its population has only a small voice in its principal decision-making institutions.

This does not mean that only women can represent women’s interests or that all women share the same priorities. It means that lived experience matters. A legislature that includes people from a wider range of backgrounds is more likely to recognise how laws and public programmes affect different parts of the population.

Representation also has symbolic value. When girls and young women see women serving as legislators, ministers, governors and community leaders, political leadership becomes a realistic possibility rather than a distant exception.

Diverse perspectives improve policymaking

Public policy is shaped by the experiences, assumptions and priorities of those who design it. When policymaking spaces are dominated by people with similar backgrounds, important needs can be overlooked.

More inclusive institutions can bring greater attention to issues such as maternal healthcare, gender-based violence, childcare, access to education, workplace discrimination, economic security and the needs of unpaid caregivers. These issues affect families, communities and the wider economy, not women alone.

Diversity does not automatically produce perfect policies. It does, however, broaden the questions being asked, challenge established assumptions and reduce the likelihood that important experiences will remain invisible.

Gender equity expands the pool of talent

Exclusion carries a cost. Every institution that restricts participation through unfair political, cultural or economic barriers risks losing capable leaders.

A competent woman who cannot afford an expensive party nomination form may never reach the ballot. Another may withdraw because of harassment or threats. A woman with a disability may be excluded because political venues and campaign activities are inaccessible. Others may possess the expertise and commitment required for public service but lack entry into political networks traditionally controlled by men.

Nigeria needs its strongest thinkers, organisers, negotiators and public servants. Gender equity expands the pool from which those leaders can emerge. It allows competence to be identified across society rather than within a narrow section of it.

Inclusive institutions can build public confidence

Citizens are more likely to identify with public institutions when those institutions reflect the society they serve. Persistent exclusion can create the impression that political power belongs to a select group rather than to the public.

Visible and meaningful inclusion can help reduce that distance. It shows that leadership is open to people from different communities and backgrounds. However, representation must go beyond appearance. Women who enter public office must have genuine opportunities to influence priorities, lead committees, shape budgets and participate in major decisions.

What Happens When Gender Equity Is Missing?

Policy blind spots persist

When women and other under-represented groups are absent from policymaking, their experiences may receive inadequate attention. Policies can appear neutral while producing unequal effects.

For example, an economic programme that overlooks women’s concentration in informal employment may fail to reach many intended beneficiaries. A transport policy designed without considering safety and caregiving responsibilities may create additional difficulties for women. A public building that does not provide physical access may exclude people with disabilities regardless of the services available inside it.

Inclusive participation helps policymakers identify these blind spots before they become embedded in laws, budgets and programmes.

Public institutions lose expertise

Political exclusion is also a loss of national capacity. Nigeria invests in the education and professional development of millions of women, yet many remain under-represented in the institutions that determine national priorities.

When capable people are excluded because of gender, disability, income or social background, government loses their knowledge and leadership. The result is not merely unfair to the individuals concerned; it weakens the institutions that could have benefited from their contributions.

Development priorities become narrower

Decisions about healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, employment and social protection affect groups differently. Broader participation can help ensure that public spending addresses the realities of a larger share of the population.

Gender equity should therefore be understood as part of effective development planning. It brings more information into the decision-making process and can improve the government’s ability to identify needs, allocate resources and assess the consequences of public policy.

Inequality becomes normalised

When political leadership remains overwhelmingly male over successive generations, exclusion can begin to appear natural. Political parties may continue recruiting from the same networks, donors may continue funding the same kinds of candidates, and younger citizens may internalise narrow assumptions about who is qualified to lead.

Breaking this cycle requires deliberate institutional action. Time alone will not correct inequalities that are continually reproduced by political and social structures.

Barriers to Women’s Political Participation in Nigeria

Women’s under-representation is not caused by a lack of interest or ability. It is connected to several reinforcing obstacles.

The high cost of campaigning and party nomination can disadvantage women, who are more likely to have limited access to wealth, credit and political donors. Internal party processes may also favour established networks in which women have historically had less influence.

Political violence, threats, harassment and online abuse can discourage women from contesting elections or speaking publicly. Cultural expectations may place a disproportionate share of domestic and caregiving responsibilities on women, leaving them with less time and flexibility for political work.

Some women experience additional barriers because of poverty, disability, age, ethnicity, religion or geographical location. Gender equity must therefore account for the fact that women are not a single, uniform group.

Moving From Commitment to Action

Nigeria has long expressed support for greater participation by women in governance. Government policy has included a goal of at least 35 per cent representation for women in elective and appointed positions. Yet actual representation remains far below that aspiration. The gap between policy and reality demonstrates that public commitments must be supported by enforceable measures, adequate resources and transparent monitoring. 

Several reforms could help close that gap.

Reform political party processes

Political parties are the principal gateways to elected office. They should publish transparent rules for selecting candidates, reduce excessive nomination costs and establish measurable targets for women’s participation.

Women should not be nominated only in constituencies where a party has little chance of winning. Parties must support female candidates in competitive races and give them equal access to campaign resources, publicity and political networks.

Consider temporary special measures

Temporary measures, including candidate quotas or reserved seats, can help correct persistent under-representation while longer-term reforms take effect. Nigeria’s proposed Special Seats Bill has generated debate about creating additional legislative seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.

Such measures should be carefully designed, publicly understood and periodically reviewed. They should complement not replace women’s ability to contest existing seats. Their purpose should be to accelerate inclusion while institutions address the barriers that made intervention necessary.

Make political participation safer

Government agencies, political parties, security institutions and electoral bodies must respond more effectively to intimidation, harassment and violence directed at candidates and political participants.

Reporting systems should be accessible and credible, offenders should face consequences, and women should be able to participate in campaigns without accepting abuse as an unavoidable feature of public life.

Invest in leadership and campaign capacity

Mentorship, policy training, fundraising support, media preparation and campaign-management programmes can help more women convert civic involvement into viable political candidacies.

These opportunities should extend beyond major cities and established elites. Rural women, younger women, women with disabilities and women from low-income communities must also be included.

Apply gender-responsive policymaking

Representation is only one part of the solution. Ministries, legislatures and local authorities should examine how proposed laws, budgets and programmes may affect different groups.

Gender-responsive budgeting can help public institutions determine whether resources are reaching women and men equitably. Publicly reporting the results would also strengthen accountability.

Measure progress transparently

Nigeria should maintain accessible data on the gender composition of elected offices, public appointments, political party leadership, legislative committees and other decision-making bodies.

Clear data would allow citizens to compare commitments with results. What is measured publicly is more difficult to ignore.

Conclusion

Gender equity in governance is not simply about increasing the number of women in public office. It is about removing the structural barriers that prevent capable people from contributing fully to Nigeria’s political and policy life.

Women’s presence alone will not automatically eliminate poverty, violence, inequality or poor governance. However, institutions that exclude women are less representative and risk overlooking essential knowledge, experience and talent. Inclusion creates stronger conditions for responsive legislation, fairer resource allocation and more effective public policy.

Nigeria cannot build a genuinely representative democracy while women remain largely absent from the institutions where national priorities are determined. Political parties, electoral bodies, public institutions, civil society organisations and citizens all have a role in changing this reality.

The country must move beyond declarations of support and adopt practical, measurable reforms. Fairer nomination processes, safer elections, accessible campaign financing, leadership development, transparent targets and appropriate temporary measures can help open political institutions to a broader range of qualified Nigerians.

Gender equity is not a favour granted to women. It is a democratic necessity, a question of justice and an investment in better governance for everyone.

Written by Thomas Oreoluwa Esther