…Report Exposes Deep Leadership Gaps
WILAN Global has unveiled the inaugural State of Women’s Leadership in Nigeria Report and launched the next phase of its MsRepresented advocacy campaign, calling for a minimum of 35 per cent female representation across public and private leadership spaces.
The report, the most comprehensive of its kind, presents a stark assessment of women’s participation in governance and corporate leadership across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and Nigeria’s top 50 listed companies.
Despite longstanding commitments anchored in the National Gender Policy, the findings reveal that progress on gender inclusion has been slow and inconsistent. At the launch, Abosede George-Ogan, Founder and Executive Director of WILAN Global, described the nation’s leadership landscape as “A study in contrasts,” noting that women make significant contributions across communities and economic sectors but remain largely absent from high-level decision-making.
She said, “Women are powering households, businesses, and frontline services, yet they are missing where decisions are shaped. The issue is not capability; it is the systems that restrict access.”
The data highlights deep gaps at the federal level. Only 21 out of 469 seats in the 10th National Assembly are held by women, representing just 4.5 per cent, one of the lowest rates on the continent. Federal cabinet appointments reflect a similar imbalance, with eight women among 48 ministers and ten women among 34 presidential advisers, figures still far below the 35 per cent benchmark set by Nigeria’s own policy commitments.
State-level representation mirrors this trend. Women occupy just 49 of 988 seats in state Houses of Assembly nationwide, though pockets of progress exist. Kwara stands out with a 46 per cent female cabinet, surpassing the national quota, while states such as Ekiti, Oyo, Taraba, Anambra, and Kaduna report more balanced compositions. Yet most states remain in single digits.
The judiciary, however, presents a different picture. Fifteen states currently have female Chief Judges, and Nigeria’s Chief Justice is a woman. Women also hold nearly one-third of seats at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
At the grassroots level, representation is particularly weak. Of 811 Local Government Chairpersons nationwide, only 41 are women. Councillorship positions show similarly low numbers, with women occupying just 604 of 8,773 seats. Southern states such as Akwa Ibom and Cross River perform better, while several northern states have no female councillors at all.
In the private sector, women hold 31 per cent of board seats across the top 50 NGX companies, though only five firms have female board chairs. The financial sector leads progress due to regulatory pressure, while oil and gas, technology, and utilities lag.
The report also exposes the leadership paradox in health and education: women dominate frontline roles but remain underrepresented at senior levels. Cultural norms, bias, and the double bind of leadership expectations continue to limit their advancement.
WILAN Board Member, Nafisa Atiku-Adejuwon, stressed the need for measurable change. “Women are not underperforming; they are underrepresented. The data gives leaders a benchmark to act decisively,” she said.
