By Zika Bobby
The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Woman Leader, Dr. Mary Idele Alile, has hailed the proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee reserved seats for women in Nigeria’s National Assembly.
According to her, this is not just a political reform but a moral necessity, a deliberate act to correct decades of structural exclusion that have kept Nigerian women at the margins of national decision-making.
In a statement in Abuja, Alile insisted that without a legal guarantee of representation, the country will continue to suffer the loss of women’s voices, ideas, and leadership in shaping the laws that govern over 200 million citizens.
“In the heart of every democracy lies a simple truth: representation is the lifeblood of justice. Yet, in Nigeria’s National Assembly, the presence of women is so scarce that their voices often echo like whispers in a crowded hall. This is not merely a statistic, it is a moral wound. A country that silences half of its population can never hear the full truth about itself.”
“Today, Nigeria stands at a moral crossroad. Other African nations, once considered behind us, have raced ahead in gender inclusion.
She said Rwanda, emerging from a history of conflict, now holds the world record for women in parliament, with over 60 percent, not because women begged for space, but because the nation decided it could not heal or prosper without them.
“Senegal and South Africa followed suit, reaping the rewards of laws and policies shaped by both halves of humanity,” she said.
She said that her argument is not wrapped in sentiment but anchored in justice and responsibility.
“Reserved seats are not a gift to women, they are an obligation of a fair society.”
Her call is for Nigeria to correct the imbalance by legislating reserved seats for women in the National Assembly through constitutional amendment.
“We must ask ourselves, what kind of Nigeria we want our daughters to inherit? One where they must beg for a place at the table, or one where their place is guaranteed because we know their value,” she said.
