Honourable Akin Alabi, who represents Ona-Ara and Egbeda Federal Constituency and chairs the House Committee on Works, has voiced strong support for increasing women’s participation in Nigerian politics through constitutional reform.
Speaking at an event held in Ibadan, themed “Seeds of Change: Women, Agriculture and the Politics of Progress,” Alabi pointed out the glaring underrepresentation of women in the National Assembly and called for deliberate action to address it.
“There is clearly a problem with how few women we have in politics. If you look at the House of Representatives and the Senate, the numbers are far too low,” he said.
Alabi expressed his readiness to support a proposed constitutional amendment that is currently at the public hearing stage. The amendment seeks to create additional seats specifically for women in both chambers of the National Assembly.
“If passed, it will add one extra seat per state in both the House and the Senate. That means 36 new seats in each chamber for women. I am fully in support and will vote in favour of it when it comes up at the Third Reading,” he said.
He stressed that the move is not about tokenism but about providing more opportunities for qualified women to contest and be voted into office.
“It’s about giving them a fair chance. With more women on the ballot, there will be more credible options for Nigerians to choose from,” he added.
The event was convened by Omolara K. Svensson, President of the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Development. She spoke on the importance of women engaging in politics and policy-making, especially in the agricultural sector.
“At first, I didn’t see the link between farming and politics. But over time, I’ve realised that many of the issues we face in agriculture are tied to policy and its implementation. Women need to be at the table where these decisions are made,” she said.
When asked if her work in agriculture was being used to draw women into politics, Svensson explained that empowering women through agriculture is essential for survival.
“Food insecurity has been a long-standing issue in Nigeria. President Tinubu showed bold leadership by publicly acknowledging it. Agriculture is how we survive, but policy is how we thrive. We need women involved in both,” she said.
She also revealed that the event exceeded expectations in terms of turnout.
“We were expecting about 50 to 100 people, but nearly 300 women showed up today. That tells you how ready Nigerian women are. We are starting in Oyo State, but we plan to take this movement nationwide,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, former Head of Service in Oyo State, Mrs. Hannah Ogunesan, MFR, encouraged women not to hold back from seeking leadership positions.
“As women, we have the same rights and opportunities as men. How you see yourself determines how others see you. We’ve seen women succeed in government, politics, and many other fields. It’s time more women step forward,” she said.
Other dignitaries at the event included Dr. Oyenike Adeleke, Alhaja Tinuade Shakirat Adigun, Hon. Oke-Are Aina, Chief Mrs. Adebayo Yinka, Temitope Olawonyin, Hon. Adebola Shakirat Adetunji and Comrade Olawale Olaleye.
