By IBIRONKE ARIYO

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria, Abuja Branch, has called for urgent passage of the Reserved Seats Bill, declaring that Nigeria’s democracy remains incomplete without women’s full parliamentary representation.

Chairperson Chioma Onyenaucheya-Uko made the declaration at a press conference on Friday in Abuja, marking the 2025 FIDA Abuja Branch Law Week, themed “Advancing Women’s Representation: The Reserved Seats and the Future of Nigeria’s Legislature.”

Onyenaucheya-Uko said Nigeria was at a “constitutional crossroads” and must correct decades of structural imbalance that had sidelined women from political leadership, adding that the theme was timely given persistent exclusion in 2025.

She highlighted the branch’s achievements, including expanding legal clinics for women, children, and persons with disabilities, strengthening sexual and gender-based violence response systems, and intensifying civic sensitisation and pro bono legal services.

“All these efforts underscore FIDA Abuja’s broader goal of defending justice as a right, not a privilege,” she said, stressing the organisation’s commitment to advancing women’s rights and participation in governance.

The chairperson traced the roots of gender imbalance in Nigerian politics to historical inequities, noting that women in southern and eastern regions gained voting rights only in 1954, while northern women waited until 1979.

She added that military regimes between 1966 and 1999 entrenched male-only leadership, as all military Heads of State and state administrators were men, reinforcing the structural advantage against women in politics.

“Reserved seats for women are neither favours nor handouts, but corrective justice, a structural reset, and an investment in national stability,” Onyenaucheya-Uko said, linking the Bill to FIDA Abuja’s 2025 priorities.

She urged policymakers to pass the Bill without delay, called on political parties to dismantle barriers for women, and encouraged media to amplify narratives boosting women’s visibility as a path to empowerment.

Onyenaucheya-Uko also called on partners and civil society organisations to fund advocacy initiatives and encouraged Nigerian women to actively claim legislative space, insisting that a legislature without women could not be considered democratic.

In her welcome address, Law Week Committee Chairperson Mrs Wendy Kuku, SAN, stressed the need for increased women’s representation in governance, explaining that the initiative promoted understanding of reserved seats to strengthen democracy and improve governance outcomes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that activities for the 2025 Law Week include keynote speeches and panel discussions with policymakers and gender advocates, as well as health and wellness exercises to engage participants and promote wellbeing.

The programme also features an advocacy walk for the Reserved Seats Bill and visits to FIDA-adopted hospital wards, aimed at supporting the welfare of vulnerable women and children across Abuja. (NAN)