By Nneka Acholonu Egbuna.

Gender inequity is a barrier to social cohesion. It exists in Nigeria, which is considered one of the world’s most unequal societies, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2025). This disparity limits basic human rights and opportunities for women.

While Nigeria has ratified many conventions and agreements in favour of gender equity and the non-discrimination of women, as well as a gender policy calling for at least 35% representation of women in governance at all levels, it still falls behind in implementing its commitments (with the exception of a few states).

The nation was thrown into shock in March 2022, when Nigeria’s National Assembly rejected five bills designed to promote gender equality and increase women’s political participation were proposed for constitutional amendment. This sparked protests across the country. The bills proposed the following:

• Citizenship rights for foreign husbands – to allow Nigerian women to confer citizenship on their foreign-born husbands, as Nigerian men can for their foreign wives.
• Indigeneship through marriage – women to claim their husband’s state of origin after five years of marriage.
• 35% affirmative action in appointment – reserving at least 35% of appointed political positions for women at the federal and state levels.                     
• 35% representation in political party leadership – women to hold at least 35% of executive positions in political parties.
• Special seats for women in parliament – seats to be reserved for women in the National and State Assemblies to address the very low representation of women.

To address the situation, the National Assembly announced that the bills would be reconsidered during the next phase of constitutional amendments for the 4^th quarter of 2025.

Since 2019, the Africa Polling Institute (API) has been conducting the Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey to gauge citizens’ perceptions of unity and polarization in the country. The 2015 survey used 14 indicators —Identity, Trust, Social Justice & Equity, Civic Participation, Tolerance, Gender Equity/Disability and Inclusion, Impunity, Corruption, Natural Resource Governance, Polarization, Security and peacebuilding, Coping Strategies, Migration, and Self-worth & Future Expectations — to calculate Nigeria’s overall social cohesion index. A total of 5,465 respondents participated in the Survey with nationwide data collection covering gender, marital status, religious affiliation, age, ethnicity, and literacy levels.

According to the survey, Nigerians largely view the federal government’s efforts to promote gender equity (fairness and impartiality), protect women from discrimination and violence, ensure equal political opportunities, and punish gender-based violence offenders as insufficient. Only 28% of respondents rated the government’s overall performance in gender equity highly.The public also believes that there is a gap between women’s involvement at the grassroots level and formal political representation; women are less likely to contest elections or hold party leadership and government appointments, compared to their active participation during voting and attending rallies. The survey indicates that public perception of the Nigerian government’s efforts in promoting gender equity is largely negative, as well as the government’s endeavours to pass laws and implement policies protecting women and girls from discrimination and violence.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope and an opportunity for gender equity to thrive in the country. Although Nigerians prioritize merit over gender (according to the survey), with 79% believing qualifications and competence should be the focus, not gender, the survey indicates that there is a growing public support for female political leadership, with 63% willing to vote for a woman president and 69% for a female state governor. This willingness suggests an increasing openness for women to hold top political offices and acceptance that women can occupy prominent political roles beyond just voting.

There is a strong public support for women’s active participation in politics. Although 41% believe women should always contest elections (a 7% decrease from the 2022 survey), and 42% believe women should always hold political appointments, a notable minority still believes women should never contest (8%) or hold appointments (8%).

Eighty-seven percent of respondents support equal access to education for boys and girls, indicating a positive development. Regarding women’s leadership, 71% of respondents agree that women should be allowed to lead in various sectors, representing a positive nod and an 8% increase in support compared to previous findings. This also extends to women’s rights, with 73% supporting equal entitlement to family inheritances and equal opportunities for women who marry into other states within their husband’s state of origin. Only a small minority expressed disagreement with these advancements in gender equity.

The survey’s findings will be a valuable resource for organizations conducting initial assessments before deploying projects focused on gender equity or equality. It presents the public’s opinions about government programmes, gaps in government-to-public and public-to-government gender relations, and the opportunities that governments at various levels can leverage to engage the people in responding to their needs and priorities related to the crucial issue of gender.

Here’s a link to the full report.

By Nneka Acholonu Egbuna, Development and Humanitarian Communications Expert

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