The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe has called for concrete action to advance women’s participation in political leadership, warning that rhetorical support for inclusion is no longer sufficient.
Osigwe spoke during a recent Strategy Advocacy Meeting on Advancing Women’s Political Leadership: Strengthening Pathways to Inclusive Representation in 2027, organised under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme.
In his remarks, the senior advocate stressed that women possess the competence, capacity and integrity required for leadership, and should not be marginalised in political and governance spaces.
He argued that discussions around inclusion must shift from theory to deliberate, practical implementation.
Pointing to the NBA’s own leadership structure, Osigwe stated that the association’s three sections are currently headed by women, a development he said clearly demonstrates women’s ability to lead and deliver results.
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He added that female leadership within the NBA continues to grow, including at branch level, where more women are emerging as chairpersons.
The NBA president also reflected on global political trends, citing the experience of Hillary Clinton in her presidential contest against Donald Trump as evidence that gender-based barriers to leadership are not unique to Nigeria but remain a worldwide challenge.
Despite women making up a notable proportion of the population, he believed that they remain grossly underrepresented in political leadership, describing the imbalance as a democratic deficit that requires targeted policies and sustained advocacy.
Osigwe concluded by showing confidence that deliberations from the meeting would contribute to building a more inclusive society, where leadership opportunities are determined by competence and capability rather than gender.