Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has emphasised the importance of women’s rights, equality, and empowerment for the advancement of Nigeria.

Commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day celebration in a statement on Saturday, Obi urged the government to ensure a minimum of 25% representation in governance and aggressive investment in the girl-child education.

The former Anambra State governor painted a picture of the state of women’s rights in Nigeria, where women “who have shown enormous resilience remain trapped in cycles of poverty, with limited access to basic healthcare—marked by low neonatal care high infant mortality, education, and other essential services.”

He also underscored the educational and security challenges faced by women noting that girls make up the majority of the millions of children currently out of school in Nigeria and how women are “disproportionately affected by violence, abductions, and other forms of insecurity.”

In his statement, Obi highlighted the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles, describing the political system as a “brutal reality for women” which not only resists their inclusion but actively works to push them out.

“Even for the few women who break through these systemic barriers and secure positions of power, the challenges are relentless,” he wrote.

“Senator Ireti Kingibe and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan are just two examples of women who, despite their electoral victories, continue to face the harshest forms of discrimination and hostility in our public space,” he added.

In response to these issues, Obi called for immediate action urging the Nigerian government to implement policies that guarantee a minimum of 25% representation in all decision-making bodies, across all arms of government, without which “both elective and appointive women will remain excluded.”

He also advocated for aggressive investment in girl-child education, particularly in educationally disadvantaged areas, to help break the cycle of inequality and underdevelopment.

“The time to act is now,” Obi concluded. “Women are the backbone of our society, and the progress of our nation depends on ensuring they have equal opportunities to shape our collective future.” (Saturday PUNCH)