NASS Pursues Special Seats for Women, Disability Representation
The National Assembly is pursuing legislative measures to strengthen the representation of women and persons with disabilities in Nigeria’s parliaments, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has said.
Tajudeen disclosed this on Wednesday when he received the President and CEO of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, Prof. Justin Green, who paid a courtesy visit to the Speaker alongside the President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku.
The Speaker said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had accepted a proposal for an Executive Bill seeking special seats for women in the National Assembly, separate from the existing seats contested during elections.
He said the proposal had been taken to the Ministry of Justice for fine-tuning and would subsequently be presented to the National Assembly.
Tajudeen also disclosed that efforts were underway to secure legislative representation for persons with disabilities at both the national and sub-national levels.
According to him, the initiative was facilitated through the President, with the expectation that another Executive Bill would be presented to the National Assembly in the coming weeks.
The Speaker said the measures formed part of efforts by the 10th National Assembly to promote greater inclusivity in governance.
He also highlighted the National Assembly Open Week, an initiative through which the legislature opens its doors to members of the public to review its legislative activities, interact with lawmakers and provide feedback on its performance.
Tajudeen said the House had also introduced other initiatives since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in June 2023, expressing hope that future leadership would sustain efforts to make the parliament a truly “People’s House.”
On Nigeria’s hosting of the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF), the Speaker described the development as historic, noting that 126 countries are expected to participate in the global gathering.
He said the event presented an opportunity for people from around the world to see Nigeria for themselves and gain a better understanding of the country beyond perceptions about its level of development.
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Tajudeen commended NIPR for securing the hosting rights and assured the Institute of the support of the National Assembly for the WPRF and the associated 25th anniversary and Parliamentary Day programmes scheduled for November.
While speaking, Dr. Neliaku, said Nigeria’s hosting of the WPRF followed years of efforts to secure the opportunity for Africa to host the global public relations gathering.
Neliaku said the WPRF was first hosted in Paris in 2007 and that, for 19 years, no African country had been given the opportunity to host the event.
He said the 2026 edition would also be significant because it would bring the WPRF and the African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference together for the first time on the continent.
According to him, the decision to bid for the event was met with questions about Nigeria’s preparedness, but the Institute remained committed to completing the bidding process.
Neliaku said Nigeria won the hosting bid in March 2025 but was subsequently required to defend its readiness before the Global Alliance in Venice in June of the same year.
He described the additional defence as unusual, likening it to being asked to defend a qualification again after completing the original process.
He recalled that during the Venice meeting, concerns were raised about Nigeria’s capacity to host an international gathering of the scale of the WPRF, including questions about emergency medical services and other facilities.
Neliaku said the Institute responded to the concerns and demonstrated Nigeria’s preparedness to host international delegates.
He also commended Prof. Justin Green for his role in advancing Africa’s participation in the global public relations community.
According to Neliaku, Green had first sought to bring the WPRF to Africa in 2015 but encountered resistance, an experience that later influenced his decision to contest for the presidency of the Global Alliance.
Neliaku said Green’s leadership had expanded Africa’s representation within the Global Alliance, noting that there were previously no Africans on its board but that five Africans now serve on the board.
He said Green had also supported the creation of regional structures and initiatives aimed at making the Global Alliance a more inclusive global platform.
Neliaku said the contributions made by Green to Nigeria and Africa informed the decision to honour him during his visit.
He thanked the Speaker for receiving the delegation and for his commitment to supporting Nigeria’s hosting of the global public relations gathering.
The WPRF and APRA Conference are scheduled to take place in Nigeria from November 15 to 25, bringing together public relations and communication professionals from across the world.
