The Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Nasiru Daura, has declared his support for the swift passage of the proposed Special Seats for Women Bill, following a mass protest by hundreds of women at the Assembly complex on Thursday.
Led by Baraka Suleiman, Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the women presented a formal petition urging the Assembly to endorse the bill, which aims to create reserved legislative seats for women at both federal and state levels.
In the petition dated March 23, 2025, the group highlighted that women’s representation in Nigeria’s National Assembly, state legislatures, and local government councils remains below five percent—placing the country among the lowest in Africa for political inclusion.
“The Special Seats for Women Bill seeks to establish additional seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly,” the petition reads. “Similar systems have been successfully adopted in Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda to boost women’s political participation.”
The petitioners called on Speaker Daura to rally his colleagues to secure the two-thirds majority vote required for the bill’s passage, describing the legislation as an urgent and necessary step toward inclusive governance.
Responding, Daura assured the women of his commitment to the bill and promised to engage other lawmakers to ensure its speedy consideration.