Minister urges greater inclusion, backs special seats for women in politics at Lagos APC Women Summit
By Dr. Nafisat Makinde
Lagos, September 4, 2025 – The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has urged Nigerian women to rise above barriers and embrace leadership, declaring that “when a woman ascends, the whole nation rises.” She delivered the keynote address on Thursday at the Lagos State APC Women Summit, themed “Arise. Aspire. Ascend.”
In a statement by her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Jonathan Eze, the Minister described the theme as “a timeless anthem for women everywhere,” praising Nigerian women as “beautiful in diversity, resilient in adversity, and industrious in every corner of our land.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for prioritising women, children, families, and the vulnerable in the Renewed Hope Agenda. She also lauded First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for advancing women’s causes through the Renewed Hope Initiative, and applauded Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, for consolidating Lagos as a model for gender inclusion.
The Minister decried women’s underrepresentation in politics, noting that only four women currently serve in the Senate, while 13 state assemblies have no female lawmakers. However, she pointed to progress in states such as Adamawa, Niger, and Rivers, where women are increasingly breaking barriers.
She threw her weight behind proposals for 34 special seats for women in the National Assembly, but stressed that political representation must go hand in hand with economic empowerment. “While special seats are a welcome corrective, true progress will only come when women are economically empowered. A woman who controls her resources controls her choices, her voice, and her destiny,” she declared.
Closing her address, Sulaiman-Ibrahim rallied Nigerian women: “As we arise, let us not forget to carry others with us. As we aspire, let us do so with courage. And as we ascend, let it be together—anchored in faith and propelled by the unstoppable spirit of Nigerian women.”
