Speaker Kalu Laments Under Representation of Women, Youth in Parliamentary Decision

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has bemoaned under-representation of women, the youth and other demographics in parliamentary decisions. 

He made the observation in Abuja during the unveiling of the Parliamentary Development Programme of the House to donor agencies and other development partners as parts of the challenges in parliamentary functioning and reforms.

Kalu said: “Despite their importance, parliaments in many countries, including Nigeria, face challenges in fulfilling their mandates. Common issues include limited capacities for oversight, lack of inclusivity, and disconnects between laws and national development plans. Marginalized groups, such as women, youth, and the poor, are often under-represented in parliamentary decisions.” 

He also called for synergy amongst the critical agencies of government to foster transparency even as he urged the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to build capacities for budget oversight, particularly with a focus on gender-responsive budgeting and public finance management.

“In Nigeria, improving parliamentary effectiveness involves reforms to make the House of Representatives more representative, transparent, and accountable. This is especially relevant for Nigeria as it tackles critical national development challenges such as multidimensional poverty, which currently affects 133 million Nigerians, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“The UNDP has worked with parliaments worldwide, including in Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP-TL), to build capacities for budget oversight, particularly with a focus on gender-responsive budgeting and public finance management (PFM).

“This “whole-of-society” approach integrates government ministries, independent oversight bodies, civil society, and the media to foster greater transparency and accountability.

“In Nigeria, the House of Representatives can learn from these initiatives, particularly in gender-sensitive budget oversight. The experience in PALOP-TL countries shows that systematic engagement with all public finance actors results in more inclusive governance and policies that address inequalities, including gender inequality. These models could help Nigeria address issues such as gender-based disparities in access to education, employment, and political participation.”

Emphasising the need to build local ownership for sustainable parliamentary development, Kalu said that the members of parliament needed to be empowered to develop institutional priorities.

He said: “For parliamentary development to be sustainable in Nigeria, local ownership is essential. This means empowering MPs, particularly through multi-party parliamentary reform committees, to set their own institutional priorities and address governance challenges.

“Nigeria’s House of Representatives can also benefit from regional and international benchmarks and standards, helping ensure the reforms align with global best practices. Additionally, fostering partnerships with the executive branch, civil society, and independent oversight bodies can enhance governance accountability and transparency, ultimately benefiting Nigerian citizens”.

The Deputy Speaker while encouraging regular stakeholders’ engagement to discuss the needs of the people also underscored the importance of boosting their confidence in the parliament to safeguard democracy even as he called for alignment of national objectives with the parliamentary agenda.

“You cannot talk about building capacity without hearing from the people. Advocacy should be channeled towards making the people have more confidence in the legislature. All hands should be on deck to protect the legislature and the democracy. Efforts should be channeled towards that area. National objective must be in line with the parliamentary agenda. There should be synchronization,” Kalu added.

The development partners and donor agencies included the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United States Agency for International Development ( USAID), African Development Bank (AfDB), Policy and Legal Advocacy Center (PLAC) amongst others.

Confidence Okwuchi