Focus on Africa, Is Nigeria ready for a female leader?

Focus on Africa

Is Nigeria ready for a female leader?

18 September 2026

Available for over a year

In January 2027, Nigeria will be heading to the polls. But there’s one thing still largely missing from the ballot, women. According to Nigerian civil society organisation, policy and legal advocacy centre, Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of women’s political representation in the world.

In fact, women make up less than 5% of members of parliament. And currently only 54 women hold positions across 990 seats in State Houses of Assembly, and 15 states have no female legislators at all.

Focus on Africa host, Nkechi Ogbonna, spoke to Ufuoma Nnamdi-Udeh, the Executive Director of Enough is Enough, a civic society organisation and Zainab Buba Galadima, a politician based in Abuja.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Fana Negash, Bella Twine and Carolyne Jotham

Technical Producer: Davis Mwasaru

Senior Producer: Priyanka Sippy and Blessing Aderogba

Editors: Daniel Dadzie and Maryam Abdalla