Politics in Nigeria has been majorly a male affair. The research of Okek in 2015 and Olurode in 2013 noted that the national average of women’s political participation in the country has remained 6.7% in elective and appointive offices. This explains the male dominance of Nigeria’s politics.
Women in Nigeria are seen as second class citizens considering their political representation in the executive arm of government. Even in the present President Muhammadu Buhari administration only seven (17%) of his 42-member cabinet are women.
Though, there is a constitutional provision allowing women to contest any political position of their choice, there are also impediments hindering female representation in Nigerian politics. Religion is a major factor contributing to gender marginalization in Nigerian politics. Some religions deny women equal representation in socio-political activism. Women are reduced to more helpers to their male counterparts and home keepers. To some extent the potential of women in Nigeria are being reduced to the kitchen and “the other room”.
For Nigeria to attain some certain level of development, there has to be equal participation and representation in politics because gender equality in the 21st Century is not just women issues or mere women participation, it is a developmental issue which is also a means of poverty eradication.
Gender inequality has to be addressed. There should be equal participation from both sides, where government harkens to voices without discrimination. This can be achieved through: providing adequate support for female candidates; this can be done through media attention and portrayal, that is mentioning the achievements of women in the past and also encouraging women to engage actively in politics and providing enabling platforms for women to engage in politics through active and proper media representation of women in diverse forms of media contents; correcting the wrong notion that politics is a dirty game through proper education on political representation and participation, so that women can engage actively in politics at all levels.
It should also be enshrined in the Nigerian constitution that female representation is inevitable in order to eliminate female marginalization from every local polity to ensure equal participation at all levels.
I call on women at every level to participate actively in political activities, not down-grading themselves as a weaker group in society.
Jamila Ali,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri