Feature/OPED
Nigerian Women and Advocacy for Political Participation
By Jerome-Mario Utomi
Each passing day brings to mind the fact that if the right step is taken in the right direction, all perceived unfavourable impediments (real and imagined) are removed, and a level playing ground is provided, Nigerian women are laced with the capacity to participate and favourably compete with their male counterpart in the Nigerian political space and field.
This profound assertion was made recently by Agbor, Delta state-born, but United States of America-based Dr Philomena Onoyona, President of the Hope Restored Advocacy Organization, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) headquartered in the United States, while speaking at an international seminar held in Texas, USA, where she among other remarks called for electoral reforms, such as proportional representation, to create a more inclusive political space for Nigerian women.
As a background, Dr Onoyona is a graduate of Kennesaw State University, USA, with a Bachelor’s Degree in English, followed by a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, USA. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from the prestigious Walden University and a PhD in Human and Social Services from the same institution. Additionally, Dr. Onoyona earned a Diploma in Theology from The Greater Commission Center for Ministry U.S.A.
Professionally, Dr Onoyona is a social worker and currently serves as the Vice President of Allwell Healthcare of Georgia, United States, an organization dedicated to caring for the Elderly in society. As a social worker, she has worked in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, communities, courts, and government agencies. She assesses the needs of clients, provides resources, and advocates for social and economic justice in diverse communities. Furthermore, Dr Onoyona is a skilled counsellor.
Speaking at the event, Dr Onoyona highlighted the challenges facing women in both elective and appointed positions, revealing that less than 7 per cent of Nigerian women participate in politics. “Women in Nigeria are highly active in economic, civil, and governmental sectors, but this involvement must be further encouraged, especially in the national assembly,”
While she emphasized that the journey to achieving gender parity in Nigerian politics requires dismantling systemic barriers, allowing women to fully showcase their leadership potential and drive progress across the country, the social worker who currently serves as the Vice President of Allwell Healthcare of Georgia, United States, an organization dedicated to caring for the Elderly in the society, stressed that despite various empowerment programs designed to boost female political engagement, financial barriers has remained one of the major obstacles hindering women from running for office.
In addition to raising funds to buy interest forms, organize grassroots campaigns, and sustain election efforts, which she described as incredibly difficult for women, emphasizing the need for more financial support for female candidates, Dr Onoyona also identified as another key issue, societal perception of women in politics, which often sees women as mere support figures, rather than potential leaders, a mindset that undermines their abilities and discourages their participation.
Even as she observes growing demand among Nigerian women for equal representation, as they believe they possess the skills and competence to contribute meaningfully to governance, she further urged women organizations to engage men as allies in promoting gender equality in politics and called on communities to support female candidates by volunteering, donating, and raising awareness on social media, and stressed the importance of mentorship, where women in leadership roles help cultivate the next generation of female leaders.
Beginning with the historical perceptive, it is on a good note that as Nigeria moved toward independence in the 1950s, women continued to play crucial roles in political movements. Women organizations, such as the Nigerian Women’s Union and the Nigerian Women’s Party, advocated for greater female participation in politics. Despite these efforts, the immediate post-independence period saw limited political representation for women.
In 1960, when Nigeria gained independence, it was reported that only a few women held political offices. Marginalization continued despite the contributions of women like Margaret Ekpo, a politician and women’s rights activist who was one of the first women elected to the Eastern Regional House of Assembly.
Away from civil rule to the military era which lasted between 1966 and 1999, the struggle against marginalisation continued as military coups and subsequent military rule reportedly posed significant challenges to women’s political advancement. During these years, political spaces were predominantly male-dominated, and women’s participation in politics was severely restricted.
Reports, however, indicated that the return to civilian rule in 1999, marked a new era for women’s political participation in Nigeria. The new democratic framework provided more opportunities for women to engage in politics. The adoption of the National Gender Policy in 2006 aimed to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in all sectors. But this has not in any practical sense erased the pang of marginalization of women in Nigeria’s political space.
Essentially, beyond its relevance in Nigeria’s political history, Dr Onoyona’s present advocacy is also relevant at the global stage as it aligns completely, and in tandem with what development professionals promote.
Separate from the belief that women’s equal participation and leadership in political and public life are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Onoyona’s latest advocacy in my view, becomes more appreciated when one remembers that available data from the United Nations shows that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide and that achieving gender parity in political life is far off.
To further drive home this argument, a study result released in June this year, revealed that as of June 1st, 2024, there are 27 countries where 28 women serve as Heads of State and/or Government. At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years. Just 18 countries, the study added, have a woman Head of State, and 15 countries have a woman Head of Government.
Again, data compiled by UN Women also show that women represent 23.3 per cent of Cabinet members heading Ministries, leading a policy area as of 1 January 2024. There are only 15 countries in which women hold 50 per cent or more of the positions of Cabinet Ministers leading policy areas. The five most commonly held portfolios by women Cabinet Ministers are Women and gender equality, followed by Family and Children affairs, Social inclusion and development, Social protection and social security, and Indigenous and minority affairs’’.
Similar to what Dr Onoyona advocated, the referenced report went further to say that only 26.9 per cent of parliamentarians in single or lower houses are women, up from 11 per cent in 1995. Only six countries have 50 per cent or more women in parliament, in single or lower houses: Rwanda (61 per cent), Cuba (56 per cent), Nicaragua (54 per cent), Andorra (50 per cent), Mexico (50 per cent), New Zealand (50 per cent), and the United Arab Emirates (50 per cent). A further 22 countries have reached or surpassed 40 per cent, including 13 countries in Europe, five in Africa, four in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one in Asia-Pacific. Globally, there are 21 States in which women account for less than 10 per cent of parliamentarians in single or lower houses, including two lower chambers with no women at all.
At the current rate of progress, gender parity in national legislative bodies will not be achieved before 2063. Women hold 36 per cent of parliamentary seats in Latin America and the Caribbean and makeup 33 per cent of parliamentarians in Europe and Northern America. In sub-Saharan Africa, there are 27 per cent of women legislators, followed by Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 23 per cent, Oceania with 20 per cent, Central and Southern Asia and Northern Africa and Western Asia where, in both regions, women make up 18 per cent of women Members of Parliament.
In a related development, data from 141 countries show that women constitute more than 3 million (35.5 per cent) of elected members in local deliberative bodies. Only three countries have reached 50 per cent, and an additional 22 countries have more than 40 per cent of women in local government. Regional variations are also noted for women’s representation in local deliberative bodies, as of January 2023: Central and Southern Asia, 41 per cent; Europe and Northern America, 37 per cent; Oceania, 32 per cent; Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, 31 per cent; Latin America and the Caribbean, 27 per cent; sub-Saharan Africa, 25 per cent; Western Asia and Northern Africa, 20 per cent.
“Balanced political participation and power-sharing between women and men in decision-making is the internationally agreed target set in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. While most countries in the world have not achieved gender parity, gender quotas have substantially contributed to progress over the years. In countries with legislated candidate quotas, women representation is five percentage points and seven percentage points higher in parliaments and local government, respectively, compared to countries without such legislation.”
In fact, there is established and growing evidence that women’s leadership in political decision-making processes improves them. For example, research on panchayats (local councils) in India discovered that the number of drinking water projects in areas with women-led councils was 62 per cent higher than in those with men-led councils. In Norway, a direct causal relationship between the presence of women in municipal councils and childcare coverage was found. Women demonstrate political leadership by working across party lines through parliamentary women’s caucuses—even in the most politically combative environments—and by championing issues of gender equality, such as the elimination of gender-based violence, parental leave and childcare, pensions, gender-equality laws, and electoral reform.
For me, Dr Philomena Nkem Onoyona’s current political advocacy and reawakening remains a vital message that Nigerian women whether in partisan politics or not must not be allowed to go with political winds.
Utomi Jerome-Mario, a media expert, writes from Lagos and can be reached via je*********@***oo.com or 08032725374
By Louis Strydom
Last year, I argued in my piece Lean Carbon, Just Power that a limited and temporary increase in African carbon emissions is justified to meet the continent’s urgent electrification needs.
That position was not a retreat from climate ambition. It laid out a credible lean-carbon pathway that reconciles power systems development realities with climate arithmetic.
The central question remains: not whether emissions must fall, but how much temporary headroom is tolerable to accelerate energy prosperity for a continent responsible for roughly 4% of global CO2.
The flexibility equation
The future of Africa’s electrification is neither “all renewables tomorrow” nor “gas indefinitely”. Intermittent renewables alone cannot power the continent’s fragile grids at scale. Solar and wind require highly dispatchable power capacity to ensure the reliability of the system.
The real choice is not between renewables and fossil fuels in the abstract; it is between flexible firm power that complements solar and wind, and the de facto alternative: the increasing reliance on high-emissions diesel backup and widespread grid instability.
I argue that a realistic transition strategy must embrace “a capped carbon overdraft”: a strictly bounded, time-limited deployment of flexible power plants running on gas that supports the deployment of renewables and declines according to a binding schedule. This strategy means accepting minimal, temporary emissions to allow for a faster, cleaner and more resilient clean transition.
The response to this argument drew serious scrutiny. Three objections deserve a direct answer.
First: Does the case for flexible thermal power hold on a full life cycle basis?
It does. Our power system studies in Nigeria, Mozambique, and Southern Africa consistently reach the same conclusion – the least-cost long-term system is renewables-led, with flexible engines balancing variability. That holds across capital, fuel, maintenance, carbon pricing, and decommissioning. South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan 2025, approved in October, makes the point concretely: it projects 105 GW of new capacity by 2039 with renewables as backbone, yet includes 6 GW of gas-to-power by 2030 explicitly for grid stability. Even the continent’s most industrialised economy concludes it needs dispatchable thermal capacity to underpin a renewables-heavy system. The question is not whether firm power is needed, but how to make it as clean and flexible as possible.
Second: Does this argument talk over Africa’s ambition to leapfrog fossil fuels?
No. It is designed around that ambition. Wärtsilä launched the world’s first large-scale 100% hydrogen-ready engine power plant concept in 2024, certified by TÜV SÜD, with orders opening in 2025. Ammonia engine tests now demonstrate up to 90% greenhouse gas reductions versus diesel. These are not roadmaps. They are ready-to-use technologies. The honest difficulty is timing. Sub-Saharan grids averaged 56 hours of monthly outages in 2024. The African diesel generator market is growing at nearly 7% a year, projected to reach 1.3 billion dollars by 2030. Nigerian businesses spend up to 40% of operational costs on fuel for backup power. That is the real counterfactual – not a continent neatly powered by sun and wind, but a billion-dollar diesel habit deepening every year the grid stays unreliable. Even Germany is tendering 10 GW of hydrogen-ready gas plants with mandated conversion by 2035 to 2040. If Europe’s largest economy needs transitional thermal flexibility to backstop an 80% renewables target, insisting low-income African nations skip that step is not climate leadership. It is development deferred.
Third: Does the carbon comparison include full life cycle methane?
It must. Methane leakage materially worsens the climate profile of gas-to-power because methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂. If leakage exceeds a few per cent of production, gas loses its advantage over coal on a 20-year timeframe.
But the IEA notes that 40% of fossil methane emissions could be eliminated at no net cost with existing technology. My claim that gas has a lower footprint than coal is conditional on aggressive methane management – eliminating flaring and venting, enforcing measurement under frameworks like the EU Methane Regulation and OGMP 2.0. Without those conditions, the arithmetic fails. But the real choice in most African markets is not between pristine gas and pristine renewables. It is between ageing coal, a growing fleet of unregulated diesel generators, and new fuel-flexible plants that start or transition to gas and convert to hydrogen or ammonia on a contractual schedule. Displacing diesel and coal with well-managed gas in future-fuel-ready engines cuts CO₂, local pollution, and water use now, while building the infrastructure for fuels that eliminate fossil dependence.
The critics are right to demand rigour, full life cycle accounting, methane transparency, and credible timelines. Those are exactly the conditions that make a lean-carbon pathway work. Africa does not seek permission to pollute. It seeks the tools to end energy poverty while peaking emissions early and declining fast. Build engine power plants that run on available fuel today. Mandate their conversion tomorrow. The carbon overdraft stays small. The payback stays fast. And the technology to switch to sustainable fuels is already here.
Louis Strydom is the Director of Growth and Development for Africa and Europe at Wärtsilä Energy
You’re back home after mudik (homecoming), the suitcases are unpacked, and the excitement of being with family for Eid already feels like a long time ago. But just because Eid is over doesn’t mean the special connection of being with family has to fade. Here are the best group chat features for beating the post-Raya blues.
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Keep The Vibe Going by Sharing Ramadan Highlights
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Keep the Memories Rolling with Status: Your Status feed doesn’t have to go quiet just because you’re back home. Post the most memorable throwback photos from the Eid reunion and add questions to spark responses like “What was your favourite Raya dish?” Add music and stickers to Status to keep the energy alive.
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Express Yourself with Text Stickers: Turn inside jokes, family slogans, or a favourite Eid quote into a Text Sticker. It’s a quick, personalised way to add some warmth and humour to the group chat.
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Skip the Stock Cards, Use Meta AI for a Personal Touch: Don’t just send a generic “Hi” or “Good morning” in the family chat. Use Meta AI to make your personalised greeting card or quickly transform a single photo into an animated image to send a heartfelt, animated check-in.
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Schedule The Next Reunion
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Plan Your Next Post-Raya Get-Together: The blues often hit when the fun ends. Keep spirits up by creating a new Event in the group chat right away. Add event reminders so everyone doesn’t miss the opportunity to connect.
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Schedule a Call, Don’t Just Say “Call Me”: Carry on the family tradition of staying connected, even when you’re miles apart. Tap + then Schedule a call in the Calls tab to lock in a regular “Post-Raya Check-in” video call. Send a reminder so everyone can join on time.
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Keep the Raya Spirit Alive by Getting Everyone Involved
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Assign yourself a fun “tag” in the family group: Are you the one who always ends up cooking? Or the one who plans the itinerary for family trips? Or the master of GIFs who keeps everyone amused? Use the Member Tag feature in the group to give yourself a witty, funny, or practical role—”Next Event Planner” or “Tech Support Guru,” maybe?. Member tags can be customised for each group you’re in.
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Share a Spontaneous ‘I Miss You’ Video: Did you just see something that reminded you of the reunion? Press and hold the camera icon to record a spontaneous Video Notes message. It’s faster than typing and instantly brings warmth and real-time emotion back into the group.
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Digital Hugs: Making the Long-Distance Moment Count
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Share a Moving Memory: Don’t just send a still photo. Share a Live or Motion Photo to capture the ambient sound and movement of a recent Eid moment. It makes your memories feel more vivid, personal, and real—a perfect antidote to feeling disconnected.
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Your Group Chat Background: Create a vibe with Meta AI: Don’t settle for a plain background for your family group chat. Use Meta AI to generate unique, custom chat wallpapers that reflect something uniquely memorable to your family: be it food, travel or a sport that unites everyone. Every time you open the chat, you’ll feel the warmth, not the distance.
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Make Sure No One Misses Out
No More FOMO: Send the Conversation History: Just added a family member who couldn’t make it to mudik? When adding a new member, you can now send up to 100 recent messages with the Group Message History feature. No need to recap; let them catch up instantly and feel included from the first tap.
By Olumide Balogun
Nigerians are natural explorers. Whether finding the best supplier in Balogun market, hunting down a recipe for party jollof, or looking for the most affordable flight out of Lagos, we are always searching.
Today, human curiosity is expanding, and the way Nigerians express it is evolving. We are speaking to our phones, snapping photos of things we like, and asking incredibly complex questions. For the Nigerian business owner, understanding this shift is a massive opportunity to get discovered by eager customers.
Here are four ways AI is rewriting how Nigerians search, along with simple steps to ensure your business is exactly what they find.
1. Visual Discovery is the New Normal
People are increasingly using their cameras to discover the world around them. Picture someone spotting a brilliant pair of sneakers in traffic and wanting to know exactly where to buy them. Today, shoppers simply take out their phones and search visually.
Tools like Google Lens now process over 25 billion visual searches every single month, and many of these searches are from people looking to make a purchase.
How to adapt: Your product’s visual appeal is paramount. Make sure you upload clear, high-quality images of your products to your website and social media. When a customer snaps a picture of a bag that looks like the one you sell, having great photos ensures your business pops up in their visual search results.
2. Conversations Replace Simple Keywords
Shoppers are asking highly nuanced, conversational questions. They are typing queries like, “Where can I find affordable leather shoes in Ikeja that are open on Sundays and do home delivery?”
To handle these detailed questions, new features like AI Overviews act like a superfast librarian that has read everything on the web. It provides users with a perfectly organised summary and links to dig deeper.
How to adapt: Answer your customers’ questions before they even ask. Create detailed, helpful content on your website and fully update your Google Business Profile. List your opening hours, delivery areas, and unique services clearly. This ensures the technology easily finds your details and recommends your business when a customer asks a highly specific question.
3. Intent Matters More Than Exact Words
Predicting every single word a customer might use to find your product is a huge task for any business owner. Thankfully, modern search technology focuses on the underlying need behind a search.
If someone searches for “how to bring small dogs on flights,” AI understands that the person likely needs to buy an airline-approved pet carrier. The technology looks at the true intent of the shopper.
How to adapt: You no longer need to obsess over guessing exact keywords. By using AI-powered campaigns, you allow the technology to understand your products and match them to the customer’s true needs. Your business will show up for highly relevant searches, bringing you customers who are actively looking for solutions you provide.
4. Smart Assistants Handle the Heavy Lifting
Running a business in Nigeria requires incredible hustle. Managing digital marketing on top of daily operations takes significant time and energy. The next frontier in digital advertising introduces agentic capabilities, which hold a simple promise of delivering better results for your business with much less effort.
The technology now acts as your personalised assistant.
How to adapt: You can simplify your marketing by using the Power Pack of AI-driven campaigns, including Performance Max. You simply provide your business goals, your budget, and your creative assets like photos and videos. The AI automatically finds new, high-value customers across Google Search, YouTube, and the web. It adapts your ads in real time to match exactly what the shopper is looking for, allowing you to focus on running your business.
The language of curiosity is constantly expanding. Nigerians are discovering brands in entirely new ways using cameras, voice notes, and highly specific questions. By understanding these behaviours and embracing helpful AI tools, you can let the technology connect eager customers directly to your digital doorstep.
Olumide Balogun is a Director at Google West Africa
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