A bill seeking to mandate a minimum of 15% female representation across Nigeria’s armed forces has scaled second reading at the House of Representatives.
This bill proposes amendments to the constitution to create additional seats in both the House of Representatives and state legislatures for women.
Sponsor of the bill, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, explained that it seeks to amend the Armed Forces Act, CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, to ensure women representation in the enlistment, recruitment and appointment of service personnel; and ensure the establishment of a unit to monitor and maintain records of the gender-responsive compliance programme and disaggregated data collation.
Leading debate on the Bill during plenary on Wednesday, Ogbara decried the low participation of women in the armed forces, particularly in leadership and operational roles.
She mentioned that the current legal framework lacks specific provisions that guarantee gender inclusion or affirmative action in recruitment, training, and promotion, which has resulted in systemic underrepresentation of women, reinforced by cultural and institutional biases.
In her debate, she said, “Furthermore, it resonates with the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which Nigeria is a State Party.
The Bill therefore represents a strategic legislative intervention aimed at institutionalizing gender inclusivity and addressing structural inequalities in the Armed Forces, thereby strengthening the professionalism, accountability, and representativeness of Nigeria’s military institutions”, she explained.
According to her the proposed law is in line with global best practices, citing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, as well as Nigeria’s National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 which advocate for increased participation of women in peace and security structures, including the military.
