Nigeria made a strong case for inclusive governance at the Forum of Women Parliamentarians opening the 153rd IPU Assembly on 5th October 2026 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Speaking for the Nigerian delegation, Rt. Hon. Omosede Gabriella Igbinedion cited the 2024 NDHS data that revealed that 15.5% of Nigerian women experience some functional difficulty while 2.6% face severe difficulty, stressing that it was time for women with disabilities to be fully recognized.
She highlighted Nigeria’s response: the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and the Special Seats for Women Bill, with proposed reserved representation for persons with disabilities by the Speaker of the Nigerian National Assembly Tajudeen Abbas as a model of nested quotas.
The Forum, with over 2,000 delegates from 183 parliaments under the theme: Enhancing good governance and empowering communities through inclusivity, trust and opportunities for all, also featured contributions from MENA on employment quotas and fee waivers, Uganda on livelihoods and justice, Kenya on 47 Women County MPs and women Governors, Thailand on 66% women diplomats, Bahrain and UK.
A major highlight was the call for a woman UN Secretary General: 80 years, 0 women, 48 male candidates vs 8 female since 1945.
Report by Mr. Ekeh Nnanyere Macfred, MNIPR,
Head, Media Unit & Representative of the National Assembly Library at IPU 153, Arusha, 2026
