Women currently occupy less than 5% of seats in Nigeria’s parliament, a statistic that continues to highlight the country’s gender representation gap in political leadership. This reality has drawn renewed attention following reports that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was removed from Nigeria’s delegation to a major United Nations women’s conference.
The Kogi Central senator had reportedly been included in the country’s delegation to the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) organised by UN Women under the United Nations in New York. The global forum convenes governments, policymakers and advocates to address gender equality and policies affecting women and girls.
However, the final list of delegates reportedly excluded Akpoti-Uduaghan and instead included Ireti Kingibe alongside Adeniyi Adegbonmire, introducing a male senator into a delegation attending a conference dedicated to advancing women’s rights and empowerment.
The development has sparked discussion across political and civil society spaces in Nigeria, with many observers questioning the optics of removing a female lawmaker from a delegation to a women-focused international forum.
Beyond the immediate controversy, the situation has reignited broader conversations about how seriously institutions prioritise women’s voices in national and global discussions on gender equality.
As Nigeria continues to face a significant gender gap in political representation, what more should be done to ensure women are adequately represented in decision-making spaces, especially on global platforms discussing their rights and empowerment?
#WomenInLeadership #GenderEquality #Nigeria
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