Gender experts have raised concern over the low level of women’s political representation in Nigeria, disclosing that women occupy only 5.6 per cent of seats in state Houses of Assembly.
The concern was expressed at the inauguration of Nigeria’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, GESI, Performance Leaderboard of 36 States in Abuja.
Founder and Global Lead of Women Environmental Programme, WEP, Dr Priscilla Achakpa, said the initiative assesses inclusion of women, youths and persons with disabilities in governance, in line with Nigeria’s commitment to leaving no one behind.
She said the assessment covers six areas, including leadership and representation, policy and legal frameworks, accessible infrastructure, budget allocations, access to justice and open governance.
Achakpa urged stakeholders to promote inclusive governance and women’s political participation ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to her, 108 data collectors have been trained and deployed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to gather evidence for the assessment.