April 18, (THEWILL) – Despite efforts to promote the contribution of women in politics and decision-making, Nigerian women have continued to record low representation in all tiers and levels of governance in the Country, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday.
The NBS Statistical Report on Women and Men in Nigeria 2021 released in Abuja, on Tuesday, however, noted that Nigerian women constituted almost half of the electorate.
The report said in Nigeria, women have never been appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
It said that no woman has been elected as President or Vice-President since independence and the return of democracy in 1999.
Noting that the highest representation of 7.2% of women in the National Assembly was recorded between 2007-2011, the report added, “It was 6.6 per cent each in 2011-2015 and 201-2019″.
The report said a total of six women and 73 men occupied principal positions in the Senate in 2016 and 2017.
“The years 2018 and 2019 have the same figure of seven women and 72 men as principal officers. Only nine women out of 106 members of the House of Representatives occupied principal positions in 2019,” the report said, adding that between 2016 and 2019, only six women occupied the position of committee chairperson for each year while in 2018 and 2019, a woman occupied the position of Minority Senate Leader.
The report showed the current women’s representation in the National Assembly in 2019 was 6.2 per cent, while male representation was 93.8 per cent.
The NBS said available data from the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) revealed the number of males and females appointed as Ministers from 2016-2019.
“In 2016, seven females were appointed, this decreased in 2017 to five females. Female ministers appointed in 2018 were six and in 2019, only seven were among the 43 appointed ministers,” it averred.
The report said, in Nigeria, 31.87 and 31.98 per cent were female members of National Judicial Officers in 2016 and 2017, respectively, while 2018 recorded 28.86 per cent, indicating a drop.
It said no female had been the Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the National Industrial Court, and the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court from 2016 to 2018.
“For the same period, females had been the President of the Court of Appeal (National Judicial Council), it added.