The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has disclosed that the Federal Government is finalising an executive bill that will increase women’s representation in governance and guarantee their effective participation in both elective and appointive positions across the country.

The Minister made this known during an empowerment programme organised in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on the directive of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as part of efforts to economically empower women and strengthen their role in national development.

Speaking at the well-attended event which drew women from across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State, Hajiya Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the proposed legislation is aimed at addressing the age-long marginalisation of women in politics, governance and decision-making processes at all levels of government.

She said the bill, when passed into law, will strengthen existing efforts, policies and affirmative action programmes designed to address the low representation of women in leadership positions, both in the executive, legislative and other spheres of public and private life.

The Minister explained that the executive bill is being carefully crafted in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Justice, the National Assembly, women groups, civil society organisations and development partners to ensure that it is comprehensive, implementable and sustainable.

According to her, the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply committed to gender equity, women empowerment and inclusive governance, noting that the President has demonstrated uncommon political will to give Nigerian women a pride of place in his administration.

She said, “We are finalising an executive bill that will increase women’s representation in governance and secure their participation in elective and appointive positions. This bill will strengthen existing efforts to address the low representation of women in leadership positions across the country.”

Hajiya Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that Nigerian women account for nearly half of the country’s population, contributing significantly to economic growth, agricultural production, trade, education, health and community development, hence the need for their contributions to be reflected in national decision-making.

She lamented that despite constituting about 49 percent of Nigeria’s over 200 million people, women occupy less than 10 percent of elective and appointive positions at the federal, state and local government levels, a situation she described as unacceptable, unjust and counterproductive to national development.

The Minister stressed that no nation can achieve meaningful, sustainable and inclusive development when half of its population is left behind, sidelined or denied the opportunity to contribute their quota to governance, policy formulation and implementation of programmes that affect the lives of citizens.

She commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her passion, commitment and unwavering support for Nigerian women through her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative, which she said has continued to put smiles on the faces of women, girls and vulnerable groups across the country.

According to her, the empowerment programme in Lafia was organised on the directive of the First Lady to provide financial support, working tools, grants and other empowerment packages to women in Nasarawa State to enable them become self-reliant, support their families and contribute to the economy of the state.

Hajiya Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the programme is part of a nationwide empowerment tour embarked upon by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to domesticate the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration and ensure that no woman is left behind in the scheme of things.

She explained that the empowerment packages distributed include grinding machines, sewing machines, deep freezers, gas cookers, cash grants and other income-generating items that will help women start small businesses, expand existing ones and become economically independent.

The Minister urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items given to them, warning that the ministry has put in place a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure that the empowerment materials are used for the purpose for which they were given and not sold off.

She also called on women in Nasarawa State to continue to support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule, noting that both leaders have shown great commitment to women empowerment, girl-child education and protection of women against all forms of violence and discrimination.

In his remarks, the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, commended the Federal Government and the First Lady for choosing Nasarawa State for the empowerment programme, describing it as timely and impactful.

He said the Nasarawa State Government has also initiated several programmes aimed at empowering women, promoting girl-child education and protecting women against gender-based violence, and assured that the state will continue to partner with the Federal Government to improve the welfare of women.

The Governor disclosed that his administration has appointed women into key positions in the state, including commissioners, special advisers, permanent secretaries and heads of agencies, as a demonstration of his belief in the capacity, competence and leadership qualities of women.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the event expressed gratitude to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, for the gesture, saying the empowerment packages will go a long way in improving their livelihoods and supporting their families.

They promised to use the items judiciously and to become ambassadors of the Renewed Hope Initiative in their respective communities, while also calling on government to sustain such programmes and extend them to more women, especially those in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

A cross-section of women leaders, including the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, traditional rulers and representatives of women groups, commended the initiative and called for more legislative and policy measures to increase women’s participation in politics and governance.

They noted that beyond empowerment, what Nigerian women need is a legal framework that guarantees them at least 35 percent affirmative action in appointive and elective positions, as well as protection against political violence, intimidation and discrimination during elections.

Political analysts who spoke on the proposed executive bill said if passed into law, it will be a game-changer for Nigerian women, as it will not only increase their representation but also bring diverse perspectives, compassion, integrity and result-oriented leadership into governance.

As at the time of filing this report, the empowerment programme ended with the distribution of items to hundreds of women, with chants of solidarity songs by women groups, prayers for the success of the Tinubu administration and renewed hope that the proposed bill will see the light of day and transform the political landscape for Nigerian women.