By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to expanding women’s participation in political leadership and legislative decision-making in Nigeria.
Prof. Sulaiman made this known on Tuesday, at a One-Day Capacity Building Workshop for Female Aspirants vying for seats in the National Assembly, held at the NILDS permanent site, Piwoyi, Abuja.
He described the workshop theme, “Leveraging Digital Technology and Access to Electoral Justice to Enhance Women’s Political Representation in Nigeria,” as timely and strategic, noting that it reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen inclusive democracy.
A statement by Mohammad Abdulkadri, Media Adviser to the DG, NILDS, qoutes him as observing that although women make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population, their representation in elective positions remains significantly below global and regional standards.
The former Minister of National Planning stressed the need for deliberate interventions to bridge this gap.
According to him, NILDS remains committed to empowering female aspirants with digital skills, political communication strategies, and voter engagement tools to strengthen their participation in the electoral process.
The workshop, organised in partnership with UN Women Nigeria, attracted the United Nations Country Representative to Nigeria, representatives of the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, among other stakeholders.
