ActionAid Nigeria has called for urgent and sustained action to advance gender equality and protect the rights and dignity of women and girls across the country as the world commemorates International Women’s Day 2026.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr Andrew Mamedu, said, despite the adoption of several legal and policy frameworks, millions of Nigerian women and girls still face discrimination, violence and exclusion.
Mamedu cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which shows that 30 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 in Nigeria have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, amounting to about 35.65 million women, while 9 per cent have experienced sexual violence, representing approximately 10.35 million women.
He also noted that women remain significantly underrepresented in Nigeria’s political space, saying that the World Bank had held that women hold less than four per cent of seats in the National Assembly, with 449 of the 469 legislative seats occupied by men and only 20 by women.
The situation is also reflected at the state level, where 15 states, including Kano and Sokoto, currently have no women in their state assemblies, although states like Anambra and Lagos have recorded relatively higher female representation.
Mamedu further highlighted concerns about the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, particularly girls in northern states.
“Girls are often withdrawn from school, while survivors of sexual and gender-based violence face stigma, delayed justice and weak enforcement systems,” he said and added that rural women, young women, women living with disabilities and those in conflict-affected communities face additional barriers that limit their safety, participation and economic opportunities.
According to him, although civil society organisations and development partners have continued to invest in programmes promoting women’s rights, progress is often slowed by systemic challenges within government structures.
Between 2019 and 2024, ActionAid Nigeria implemented one of the country’s largest women’s rights programmes, supporting over one million women through economic empowerment initiatives, political participation programmes and protection against gender-based violence.
However, he said structural challenges continue to hinder broader impact.
Mamedu cited the Special Seats Bill, which proposes reserving 74 legislative seats for women, as a key reform needed to address Nigeria’s gender gap in political representation. Despite ongoing advocacy, the bill has yet to be passed.
“Women should not have to struggle for inclusion in governance. Equal political participation is a constitutional right and a foundation for accountable leadership and inclusive development,” he said.
ActionAid Nigeria urged the federal and state governments to prioritise investment in gender-responsive public services, including improved access to quality healthcare—especially maternal and reproductive health—strengthened girl-child education, and better support systems for survivors of gender-based violence.
The organisation also called for stronger justice systems to ensure timely and survivor-centred responses to sexual and gender-based violence while urging Nigeria’s First Lady to champion the passage of the Special Seats Bill as a legacy project that would significantly advance women’s political inclusion.
In addition, ActionAid appealed to development partners to increase funding for women’s rights initiatives and support women-led organisations, warning against shrinking civic space and threats faced by activists.
“As we commemorate International Women’s Day 2026, ActionAid Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to building a society where every woman and girl can live safely, speak freely, claim her rights and shape her future,” Mamedu said.