The Nigerian Senate has given a commitment to support with all legislative powers discourses and initiatives that will deepen women inclusion in the country’s electoral system. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said that gender equity must now be put “on the front burner” of national politics.
Akpabio made the commitment at the maiden Democracy Day Lecture and Book Presentation held at Sokoto State University, Sokoto . The event was organised to commemorate the memory of Hajiya Surraya Abubakar Margai, the first and only elected political office holder in Sokoto State since the return of democracy in 1999.
The Senate President, in a statement through his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Francis Akubueze, said he was “thrilled” with the quality of the lecture and the symbolic selection of Margai as the honoree for the event, adding that her legacy highlighted the imperative of greater female participation in governance.
In her remarks, the Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization, CBAAC, Aisha Adamu Augie, argued that Nigeria’s democratic system cannot mature without deliberate inclusion and gender sensitivity at all levels of decision making.
Augie called women “architects of development” and urged Nigerian men to open room for women to lead, saying female leadership brings empathy and balance to the democratic space.
Guest lecturer Prof. Aisha Balarabe Bawa, Professor of History and International Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto challenged the National Assembly to “honestly revisit” pending gender-related constitutional amendments and electoral reforms, warning that inclusive governance remains central to national unity.
Prof. Bawa, who spoke on the theme, ‘Local Beats, Global Standards: Nigeria’s Gender Inclusion and Development Implications’, said the commemoration of June 12 must go beyond symbolism and be a call to action for government, policymakers and citizens alike.
“The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on the inclusiveness of its institutions,” Bawa said. “If we want sustainable progress, we cannot treat women’s political participation as an afterthought.”
She added: “A country that offers women a seat at the table is a country that guarantees wider participation, greater legitimacy and lasting progress. The challenge before us is clear: to build a Nigeria in which local democratic seats meet democratic standards.”
Prof. M. B. Yerima, Vice-Chancellor of Sokoto State University, also lent his voice to the campaign, declaring that the era when women were confined to domestic roles was over and that women had proven themselves equal to the task in politics and administration.
Prof. Yerima further asserted that “women are also less corrupt,” urging stakeholders across party lines to create more opportunities for female leadership at the federal, state and local government levels.
The lecture, organised by Sokoto State University in collaboration with the CBAAC, the Effective Governance Research Institute and the Productive Community for Sustainable Development Initiative, PCSDI, also witnessed the launching of a book on Margai written by Dr Odeh Godwin Onuh, Head of Department of History and Diplomatic Studies.
“The dialogue was designed to provide scholars, policymakers, civil society and community leaders a platform to deliberate on equitable representation,” PCSDI Executive Director Nura Bello said.
Some eminent Nigerians such as Senate Minority Leader Patrick Abba Moro was honoured at the event for his contributions on women and youth empowerment.
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