Nigerian women celebrated the one‑year anniversary of a landmark victory on April 6, 2022, when a court upheld a 35 percent affirmative‑action mandate. The celebration was announced in a statement signed by the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) and eight co‑plaintiffs. The case was first heard on December 2, 2020, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, and 16 months later the judgment rekindled hope for Nigerian women and future generations of girls. The ruling affirmed and mandated the implementation of the National Gender Policy (2006), which requires a 35 percent affirmative‑action quota in appointive positions, and it reinforced the constitutional principle of gender equality in all such appointments. In effect, the decision guarantees Nigerian women a 35 percent share in appointive roles as a matter of right, consistent with democratic values.
The NWTF noted, however, that the Federal Ministry of Justice appealed the judgment in July 2022, contradicting President (retired) Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s acceptance of the ruling, which he expressed through the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs at a press conference on April 14, 2022, at Treasure Suites, Abuja. The women demanded that they be allowed to enjoy the dividends of democracy as equal citizens and called on President‑elect Bola Tinubu to implement the court’s decision across all appointive positions in his cabinet.
In the statement, the NWTF urged the Ministry of Justice to withdraw its appeal and asked the outgoing government to honor the judgment by putting value where it belongs. They demanded that President‑elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu establish an implementation framework to enforce the ruling and ensure that all parastatals, agencies, and ministerial appointments comply with the National Gender Policy. Additionally, they called on the 10th Assembly to recognize that Nigerian women are equal citizens and to pass all gender‑related bills that remained pending before the 9th Assembly.
The women affirmed that they will not rest on their laurels. The judgment underscores the need to intensify advocacy for inclusiveness at the national, state, and local government levels, especially in light of the poor representation of women emerging from the recently concluded 2023 general elections.
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