Nigerian women demand reserved seats in parliament
Hundreds of women marched through Abuja on Monday to demand the passage of a bill that would reserve seats for women in Nigeria’s parliament. The proposed legislation, known as the Special Seats Bill, seeks to create one women-only seat in the Senate and House of Representatives for each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. If passed, the measure would require a constitutional amendment. Nigeria currently has one of the lowest levels of female representation in Africa, with only four women in the 109-seat Senate and 16 women in the 360-member House of Representatives, according to the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). Many African countries, including Rwanda and Senegal, have successfully used quota systems to boost women’s participation in politics. “We want the legislature to work for women,” said activist Dorothy Njemanze, one of the organisers, who […]
