By Stella Charles, News Correspondent, Legallinkz.com
With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria has intensified calls for greater female participation in politics, urging women across the country to move beyond advocacy and actively pursue positions of leadership.
The call resonated at the opening ceremony of FIDA Nigeria’s Second Quarter National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting held in Abuja under the theme, “Strengthening Women’s Representation in Democratic Governance: Law, Policy and Practice.”
Delivering the keynote address, former diplomat and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nkoyo E. Toyo, challenged Nigerian women to stop waiting for political inclusion and instead take deliberate steps towards occupying positions where national decisions are made.
According to her, years of campaigns for gender inclusion have yielded only modest progress because structural barriers, entrenched political interests and societal attitudes continue to hinder women’s access to elective offices and key decision-making positions.
“Power is never given; it is taken,” Toyo declared, urging women to organise, build political networks and boldly contest elections rather than waiting for opportunities to be handed to them.
She stressed that inclusive governance is fundamental to strengthening democratic institutions and achieving sustainable national development, insisting that meaningful representation can only be achieved when more women actively participate in politics.
The NEC meeting is examining practical strategies for dismantling legal, political and institutional obstacles that have historically limited women’s participation in governance despite their growing contributions to the legal profession, public service, business and civil society.
The opening ceremony was chaired on behalf of the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Hon. Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, by Hon. Justice Maryann E. Anenih, who described the conference theme as both timely and necessary.
Representing the Chief Judge, Justice Anenih observed that the continued underrepresentation of women in governance undermines democratic legitimacy and national development.
She maintained that women must be recognised as indispensable stakeholders in governance whose perspectives and capacities are essential to building responsive institutions and sustainable societies.
Justice Anenih further emphasised that the quest for increased female representation is neither an act of charity nor tokenism but a constitutional imperative rooted in justice, equality and democratic accountability.
She called on participants to confront the structural barriers preventing women from attaining leadership positions while exploring how the law can be effectively deployed as an instrument of inclusion and institutional transformation.
The jurist also commended FIDA Nigeria for its longstanding commitment to advancing the rights of women and vulnerable persons through advocacy, strategic litigation and legal reforms, urging members to continue mentoring future female leaders and championing policies that promote justice and equality.
As discussions continue, delegates agreed that dismantling barriers to women’s leadership will require more than speeches and symbolic gestures. It will demand deliberate legal reforms, stronger institutions, sustained advocacy and women who are prepared to step forward, contest elections and shape Nigeria’s democratic future.
For FIDA Nigeria, the message from Abuja was unmistakable: the future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on inclusive leadership, and women must claim their rightful place at the decision-making table.
News Source: Opening ceremony of the Second Quarter National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of FIDA Nigeria, Abuja. Additional reporting by Law & Society Magazine
