Ahead of the 2027 poll, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu, has reiterated the commitment of the National Assembly towards the increase in seats occupied by women in parliament.

Kalu, who spoke when Lord Collins of Highbury, parliamentary undersecretary of state (Africa) for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of Nigeria, paid him a courtesy visit, expressed optimism that the ongoing quest to increase the seats occupied by women to 182 would be actualized by the end of the ongoing process to review the 1999 constitution as amended.

Kalu emphasised that as Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Amendment, and as the sponsor of the Special Seats Bill, which aims to create an additional 74 federal legislative seats and 108 state assembly seats for women, he remains committed to ensuring a legislative framework that is more inclusive.

Kalu remarked that the ongoing constitutional reform efforts, particularly concerning inclusion and representation, value the insights and experiences of the UK Parliament highly.

Kalu further observed with keen interest the progress made in the United Kingdom Parliament, where women now constitute approximately 40% of the House of Commons (263 female MPs) and 30% of the House of Lords, resulting in an overall representation of 35%, ranking the UK 27th globally according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

This, he said, is in sharp contrast with Nigeria, where female representation in the National Assembly currently stands at less than 5% (4.05%, with 19 women out of 469 seats: 4 in the Senate and 15 in the House of Representatives), positioning the country at 178th out of 182 countries in the IPU’s global standings.

The Deputy Speaker proposed the establishment of robust legislative exchange programmes to benchmark policies, facilitate collaboration on committee work, promote youth inclusion, and strengthen public accountability mechanisms.

The Deputy Speaker, who described the presence of Lord Collins as a significant reaffirmation of the enduring relationship between both countries, added that the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) has achieved significant milestones, including the establishment of the Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell and securing over 500 terrorism-related convictions.

Recalling several milestones achieved by both countries due to bilateral relations over the years, he remarked, among others, that the UK-Nigeria Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cyber Security Cooperation, signed in February 2024, provides a cooperation framework through 2027.