By: Odeh Favour Adiya
President Bola Tinubu is set to transmit executive bills to the National Assembly seeking to create special reserved seats for women and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in both federal and state legislatures, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed on Thursday.
Speaking in Abuja at a reception organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in honor of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, Prof. Justin Green, Abbas described the proposed legislation as a major inclusivity initiative of the 10th National Assembly.
He explained that the bill will create additional seats for the two groups beyond the existing elective seats, operating independently of the regular seats being contested.
“We have come up with a lot of innovations in the 10th Assembly since 2023. Lawmakers are working on some areas that we are very optimistic will succeed before the end of this tenure.
One of them is to ensure that ‘women inclusivity’ is given prominence,” Abbas said.
“We have persuaded Mr.
President, and he has accepted, for the very first time, to sponsor executive bills through our effort to the National Assembly to provide special seats for women.
And that will be independent of the regular seats that are being contested,” he added.
The Speaker disclosed that the proposed Reserved Seats for Women Bill is part of the ongoing constitutional review and seeks to create additional seats exclusively for women without displacing existing legislative constituencies.
Under the arrangement, 37 additional seats would be created in the Senate and another 37 in the House of Representatives, with one seat for each state and the Federal Capital Territory.
Each of the 36 state Houses of Assembly would also get three additional seats reserved for women, representing one for each senatorial district.
The proposed arrangement is scheduled to operate for four general election cycles, or 16 years, before a review, and is aimed at addressing Nigeria’s historically low representation of women in elective office.
Data from legislative reform records show that the 10th National Assembly currently has only four women in the Senate and 16 in the House of Representatives.
Speaking further on the timeline, Abbas revealed that the proposed legislation on reserved seats for women has already been forwarded for final drafting.
“So it is coming any time now because it is a request that he has taken to the Ministry of Justice to fine-tune and represent,” he stated.
“We also initiated and facilitated, through Mr. President, for the very first time, the inclusion of representation for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the National Assembly and the subnational legislatures.
“We are hoping that within the next few weeks, Mr. President will also bring an executive bill that will enable Persons with Disabilities to have a say at both the national and subnational levels of our parliament,” he added.
A separate bill currently before the House, HB 1931, seeks to create special seats for physically challenged persons across the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly, and local government legislative councils.
The proposal provides for one additional PWD member from each of the six geopolitical zones in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Abbas also highlighted the smooth working relationship between both chambers of the National Assembly.
“The National Assembly, as you know, operates as a bicameral legislature where we have the Senate, on the one hand, and the House of Representatives, on the other. We are proud that the relationship between the two chambers has been very good.
“We operate seamlessly and collaborate on every matter of national importance that is brought before us. The journey has been a very successful one.
We operate independently but only collaborate where necessary,” he stated.
On the forthcoming global public relations forum, the Speaker described Nigeria’s hosting of the event as historic.
Green is currently in Nigeria ahead of the World Public Relations Forum and the 37th African Public Relations Association Conference, scheduled for November 15 to 21, 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
The forum is expected to attract
about 3,000 delegates from 126 member countries of the Global Alliance.
Abbas expressed gratitude to Green and NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, for their efforts in bringing the global event to Nigeria.
Responding, Green commended Abbas and leadership of the National Assembly for driving initiatives aimed at enhancing representation for women and PWDs.
“What you have done is phenomenal. And to be honest with you, while the blood of Global Alliance runs through me, I think the heart is in a man like you who actually delivers on all elements from young to old,” Green said.
Speaking at the reception, Neliaku revealed the rigorous process Nigeria underwent to win the hosting rights for the global event.
“After we won the bid in March 2025, we thought it was over. But it wasn’t. They dragged us to Venice to defend the bid in June 2025. That was the first time a country would be given a hosting right and still be asked to come and defend its readiness.
“It is like doing your PhD, and after the external examination, you are called back six months later to come and re-defend your thesis. Very unusual, but we had to do it,” Neliaku said.
The Presidency had on August 20 assured organizers of its support for the event, which is being organized in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the NIPR.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, gave the assurance when he received members of the WPRF Abuja 2026 Planning Committee at the State House, Abuja.
