BY AHMED AKANBI
The proposal to reserve three seats for women in every State House of Assembly has split opinion in Kogi State, with female leaders welcoming the move, but insisting it does not go far enough.
The bill before the National Assembly also seeks to reserve 74 seats for women in the Senate and House of Representatives, in a major push to correct decades of gender imbalance in politics.
In Kogi, where women turn out in large numbers to vote and campaign but rarely get elected, many say three seats would merely formalise tokenism.
The Kogi State House of Assembly currently has only two women: Hon (Mrs) Omotayo Adeleye-Ishaya of Ijumu and Deputy Speaker, Hon (Mrs) Comfort Egwaba Nwuchola of Ibaji Constituencies.
Nwuchola described the proposal as progress, arguing that one woman from each of the state’s three senatorial districts would be better than the present situation.
“Having three female members in the House will certainly be an improvement. We currently have two. If each senatorial district can produce one each, it will be good,” she said.
Adeleye-Ishaya also backed the bill and urged stakeholders not to let it die in the National Assembly, saying it would open the door for more women in lawmaking and governance.
Their cautious optimism is rooted in history. Since the Assembly was inaugurated in 1992, only three women have ever served as lawmakers, and never have two served at the same time until now.
For Barrister Lilian Okolo, a female lawyer in the state, history proves that incremental change is not enough.
She wants 12 seats reserved for women in Kogi, one-third of the 36-member Assembly, to reflect women’s population and political contribution.
“I’m soliciting 12 female members for the State Assembly. It will make a lot of sense if we can have 12 female members, which will represent one-third of the total number of 36 members,” Okolo said.
Still, she conceded that three seats would be better than none, and could serve as a foundation to build on.
“Even though it is small, we can start from there,” she added.
The debate in Kogi mirrors a national question: whether reserved seats should be a stepping stone to equality, or a ceiling that keeps women at the margins.