The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the council of Yoruba traditional rulers have endorsed the proposed reserved seats for women in Nigeria’s legislative houses, giving a major boost to national efforts aimed at increasing women’s political representation.

Their assurance came during a high-level meeting between the monarch and Southwest legislators on the Special Seats Bill advocacy, championed by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).

The Ooni emphasized that women have always played a pivotal role in Yoruba history and governance, noting that the time has come for Nigeria to institutionalize gender inclusion. The traditional rulers pledged to take the message to political leaders and stakeholders across their domains to ensure broad support for the initiative.

Lawmakers at the meeting described the royal backing as a significant step toward securing public and political buy-in for the bill, which seeks to guarantee dedicated legislative seats for women at federal and state levels.