FAVOUR IMHOMOH
Political gender equality still has a long way to go in Nigeria. There is progress as organizations such as the Feminist Coalition, have begun to recognize that there are systems at play that limit women’s abilities to participate in politics. The processes involved in the continuous efforts to dismantle and decolonize, begin by putting equal importance on all genders and non-binary bodies and not relegating one as better than the other.
It is providing educational opportunities for women and girls to know that their abilities and interests are needed beyond the private sphere and there should be a choice in what they decide to do. It is about making a political, social, and economic declaration that women are not the “other” and allowing society, including men, to know women as individuals that can work side by side with them to create a better Nigeria.
The Nigerian government should also be tasked to make sure that there is a quota to be met for women’s representation in the different governmental positions and administrations. George et.al (2016) discuss other forms of intervention such as Youth programs to prepare young minds, especially women for leadership roles in politics and a review of Nigerian legislation on women’s rights where gender discrimination is prohibited.
As seen in the case of Rwanda and Uganda, prohibiting gender-based discrimination against women increased the level of women's political involvement. Today, Rwanda is regarded as having the highest percentage of women participation in politics. As this unlearning and deconstructing of cultural gender normativity begins, the participation of Nigerian women in politics will begin to take hold because the societal attitudes towards women in politics will start to shift as well as the political constraints on Nigerian women.
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