For a moment like this: because Nigeria needs the reserved women’s seat bill

In the book of Esther, a young Jewish woman rises to royalty and, with the wisdom and guidance of her cousin Mordecai, saves her people from annihilation. It is a story of courage, timing and political intuition, which speaks to the power of collaboration between women and men in leadership.

This ancient narrative remains painfully relevant today while Nigeria trains with one of the most underestimated crises in its democratic development: the systematic under -representation of women in our policy.

Out of 469 members of the current tenth national assembly of Nigeria, only 21 are women, only 4.5%. This figure is not only disappointing; It is dangerous. It reflects a political structure that remains structurally biased, culturally hostile and legally not accommodating towards female participation.
This is the reason why the bill on the reserved women’s seat must return to the burner of the legislative front, not as a political favor or tokenistic gesture, but as a strategic act of national conservation.

The Esther-Mordecai project

In biblical Persia, Mordescai including power structures. Esther had access to them. One provided the vision; the other performed it. Together, they preserved a nation.
The same synergy exists today. Nigerian women have already shown their courage in the council rooms, spaces of development and international diplomacy. From Amina Mohammed, Vice Secretary General of the United Nations, to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, general manager of the WOP, women are flying on the flag where politics has failed to include them.
In the business world, we have Ibukun Awosika, former president of First Bank, and Folorunsho Alakija, one of the richest black women globally. In the media, Mo Abudu has built a global narrative brand and in religious organizations, women such as the Pastore Yemensi Kudehinbu are guiding some of the largest institutions based on the faith of the country.

On TVC Communications, the CEO, Victoria Ajayi, supervised innovative innovation, including the first anchoring of the AI news in Nigeria. The news director, Stella Din Jacobs, led male and female journalists to win more prizes under his mandate than at any time in the history of the station.
These women are not anomalies. They are proof of the potential. Still, most of them did not arrive alone. Like Esther, they had “Mordecais” men who led, supported and left next to them.

The account and prejudice
The invoice of the women’s confidential seats, introduced for the first time in 2022, tries to modify the Constitution by creating further parliamentary seats exclusively for women, distributed through the geopolitical areas of Nigeria, its goal is simple: to correct the generational imbalance that women holds out of politics.

Opponents say that they violate meritocracy. But that topic ignores the context. The merit cannot thrive in a rigged system. Nigerian politics is structurally hostile to women, from expensive forms of appointment to violent primary, from the Caucus of the party dominated by men to patriarchal gatekeeping.
Women do not ask for free races. They are asking for a possibility of combat.

What the account will do

Correcting a historical error: centuries of exclusion cannot be canceled with slogans and hashtags. Politics must intervene.

Strengthening representation: women bring unique perspectives on education, health, well -being and peace construction.

Follow the best global practices: over 100 countries, including Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa, have adopted gender shares systems.

In -depth study of our democracy: inclusion is not a threat to democracy; It is its own foundation.

The way to go

The account failed during the ninth assembly. But the times are changing. There is a renewed interest in the tenth assembly, a wave of civic defense and a generation of young Nigerians more open to equity and equity.
We must grasp this moment. The Esther-Mordecai model teaches us that the transformation requires timing, unity and audacity. Nigeria is at that moment. Don’t go there.
The reserved seat invoice does not concern women against men. These are women and men, such as Esther and MordaCai, work together to ensure the future of a nation. For a moment like this, we have to act.

Ademola Lawrence is a journalist and analyst of political affairs. He writes from Abuja.