Stakeholders have called for increased representation of women in Nigeria’s leadership and decision-making spaces, stressing that the country cannot achieve meaningful development while women remain largely excluded.
The call was made during the SALTi Conversations Series organised by the Strategic Action for Leadership Trust Initiative (SALTi) in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), themed “Why Nigeria Needs More Women at the Table,” held in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Regional Director for West Africa at the Ford Foundation, Dr. ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, said Nigeria must prioritise inclusion, noting that women currently occupy less than five per cent of parliamentary seats despite making up about half of the population.
“This is not a time for us to be experiencing gender, ethnic or racial discrimination. This is when we need to go to the proverbial ends of the earth to find the best hands,” she said.
According to her, excluding women from leadership spaces comes at a cost to national development.
“When women are excluded from these spaces, society loses access to a significant portion of its human capacity,” she said.
Aniagolu-Okoye clarified that the demand for inclusion is not about replacing men but achieving balance.
“This is not about replacing men with women, but about creating balance—the kind of balance that reflects both natural design and practical governance,” she said.
She added that leadership outcomes improve when merit and inclusion are prioritised.
“Societies function better when merit dictates and both halves of the population are adequately represented,” she said.
She further stressed that Nigeria’s low female representation in governance remains a major concern.
“Nigeria definitely needs more women at the decision-making table to bridge a massive gender gap, as women currently hold less than five per cent of parliamentary seats, despite being half of the population,” she said.
Aniagolu-Okoye also emphasised that inclusion is critical to addressing national challenges.
“When we have situations like this, we need all hands on deck to be able to solve these problems. This is why inclusion is not optional, it is necessary,” she added.
Founder of SALTi, Dr. Nkem Momah, said the initiative was focused on building capacity and sustaining conversations that would drive social change and national development.
“We are trying to build capacity as a source. Many of these things you see here today were not put together by me. Many years ago, we didn’t do many of these things, but today we have a younger team putting all this together,” he said.
He added, “We are evolving, we are improving, and we are moving forward slowly. We want this to be an entity in your lives and in Nigerian lives. We want to make an impact. We want to see a better Nigeria.”
Momah expressed optimism about the future, saying, “I want to see Nigerian presidents in my lifetime—female presidents in my lifetime. I think it’s possible. The journey has just begun. Let’s be optimistic about it.”
Also speaking, Deputy Editor of Blueprint Newspaper and NAWOJ National Vice President (Zone D), Chizoba Ogbeche, highlighted structural, financial, and systemic barriers limiting women’s participation in leadership.
“Beyond just the discussion, we need to remain deliberate, and we need to change our orientation. Because during campaigns, women are the ones that come out for them. We dance, we mobilise, and yet we are not the ones dictating the conditions,” she said.
Ogbeche noted that although many women are interested in leadership, access remains a major challenge.
“It is not that women cannot run, but how many of them actually get the tickets? Women are interested in getting into leadership, but many do not have the financial strength to secure party tickets,” she said.
She further explained that while most political parties have constitutional provisions for women’s inclusion, implementation remains weak.
“Most parties have provisions for a percentage for women, but if you look at how they implement it, many of them do not comply. Most women have given their consent, but they do not want to push further. That is why the issue of litigation is something we must begin to consider,” she added.
According to her, legal action could help enforce accountability within party structures.
“Yes, litigation is expensive, but there are a few people offering pro bono services. The challenge is that they cannot carry many cases. But it is still a tool we must begin to explore,” she said.
Ogbeche also pointed out that policy-making spaces in Nigeria remain male-dominated.
“Talking about policies, the people making them are mostly men. That is the truth. The system is male-dominated, and their orientation reflects that reality. That is why we must begin to advocate more deliberately,” she said.
Participants at the event also identified political violence, lack of financial resources, and societal conditioning as major barriers preventing women from taking up leadership roles.
They called for deliberate policies, stronger advocacy, and grassroots sensitisation to promote gender equality and encourage more women to participate actively across leadership spaces.
The stakeholders agreed that sustained engagement, institutional reforms, and collective action are necessary to bridge the gender gap and ensure inclusive leadership in Nigeria.