NASS committed to increasing women’s participation — Bamidele

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

ADO-EKITI — Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the 10th National Assembly is committed to removing barriers limiting women’s participation in governance through a proposed constitutional amendment seeking special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.

Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the proposed legislation was designed to address the persistent under-representation of women in Nigeria’s political institutions and ensure their participation in decisions affecting the country.

He spoke as a guest speaker at the 2026 Law Week of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti State Chapter, held in Ado-Ekiti, with the theme, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children”.

The Senate Leader said the proposed constitutional alteration would create 37 additional seats in the Senate and 37 in the House of Representatives, with one seat reserved for women in each state and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that the proposal also provided for three additional seats in each State House of Assembly, without displacing existing legislative seats.

According to him, the arrangement is proposed to run for 16 years, covering four electoral cycles, after which its impact would be reviewed.

Describing the initiative as a historic intervention rather than a partisan project, Bamidele said a democracy that excluded a significant proportion of its population from decision-making could not claim to be fully representative.

He disclosed that the National Assembly had commenced engagements with State Houses of Assembly to secure the constitutionally required concurrence for the proposed amendment.

He said the process was being pursued through extensive consultations and consensus-building.

Bamidele, who commended the advocacy of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said the 10th Assembly was determined to address historical gaps in women’s political representation.

The lawmaker also identified globalisation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, insecurity, economic instability and climate change as factors creating new challenges for women and children.

He said women continued to face gender-based violence, economic exclusion, discrimination and inadequate healthcare, while children remained vulnerable to sexual abuse, trafficking, child labour, early marriage, malnutrition, educational deprivation and digital exploitation.

He noted that poverty, unemployment, inadequate social protection, educational inequalities, social stigma and weak enforcement of existing laws had further compounded the challenges.

Bamidele maintained that protecting women and children was not merely a humanitarian responsibility but a constitutional obligation and a critical investment in national development, economic productivity and social stability.

He also highlighted legislative interventions of the 10th Assembly, including the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025, which he said exempted sanitary products, baby diapers and other essential products for women and children from Value Added Tax.

He described the measure as a social justice intervention aimed at reducing the financial burden on low-income women and families.

The Senate Leader urged FIDA to deepen its engagement with the National Assembly and other relevant institutions by identifying gaps in existing laws, proposing reforms and ensuring that government policies and budgetary provisions translated into tangible benefits for vulnerable Nigerians.

He also challenged the organisation to hold the legislature accountable for implementing its commitments, particularly the proposed special seats for women and adequate funding for child protection, women’s healthcare and gender empowerment programmes.

“A democracy that systematically excludes over half of its population from the decision-making tables that determine their future is, at best, a flawed democracy and, at worst, a veiled oligarchy.

“The law is only as good as its implementation. Hold us accountable. Demand that the Special Seats Bill becomes law. Demand that appropriations for child protection and women’s health are not just passed, but released and utilised,” he said.

In her keynote address, the Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, called for stronger legal and institutional frameworks to protect women and children against emerging forms of abuse, particularly those enabled by technology and economic vulnerabilities.

Olarinde said the growing use of artificial intelligence and digital platforms had created new threats, including cyberstalking, online harassment, deepfake images, impersonation and the exploitation of children.

She called for stronger collaboration among government, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, universities, religious and traditional leaders, the media and civil society organisations to tackle gender-based violence and child abuse.

The vice-chancellor also urged FIDA to move beyond advocacy to measurable outcomes, proposing a collaborative Women and Children Access to Justice Action Framework to improve legal protection, digital safety and support for survivors.

In his remarks, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ogunmoye, commended FIDA for selecting Bamidele to deliver the lecture, describing him as well placed to address emerging issues requiring legislative and policy reforms to protect women and children.

Earlier, the Chairperson of FIDA, Ekiti State chapter, Ayobami Olowoyo-Richards, said the organisation would remain committed to promoting, protecting and preserving the rights of women and children.

She said changing realities continued to present new challenges to their safety, dignity and fundamental rights, requiring stronger laws, institutions and collective responses to ensure access to justice.