Photo File: The Executive Director of WIMBIZ, Omowunmi Akingbohungbe.

The Executive Director of the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, has called on Nigerians, especially women, to reach out to their representatives in the House of Assembly and urge them to support the Reserved Seats Bill, which seeks to increase female representation in governance.

Delivering her Executive Director’s report on Day Two of the 2025 WIMBIZ Annual Conference in Lagos on Friday, Akingbohungbe said the proposed legislation is a crucial step toward equity in Nigeria’s political and leadership spaces.

Newsmen reports that the Reserved Seats for Women Bill is a step towards ensuring gender equity in political representation in the country.

Akingbohungbe challenged the women to reach out to their representatives at the National Assembly and demand that they support the bill.

Now, this looks like a temporary fix, but it is a prospective channel for fair female representation in the House of Assembly. And a notable action from that webinar, which I want us all to embark on, is to get to know your representative in the House of Assembly.

“They owe you that much. Reach out to them and encourage them to support the Reserved Seats Bill. If you go to their website, you’ll find their phone numbers there. Call them,” she urged.

She also highlighted the organisation’s advocacy for gender parity and inclusion and reaffirmed WIMBIZ’s belief that collaboration and collective action remain the paths to sustainable change.

“We’re very big on collaboration this year because when we join forces, our voices are amplified and our impact is accelerated,” she said.

The Executive Director noted that WIMBIZ, in partnership with other women-focused organisations, is actively pushing for modern labour reforms to improve workplace conditions for women and families.

“We have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes calling for modern labour reform. We are saying that the 16 weeks paid maternity leave should be the minimum standard, and of course, 14 days paternity leave, because we know that the issue of care is a shared responsibility.

“Currently, our Labour Act still says 50 per cent pay and 12 weeks, and no mention of paternity leave. We’re also calling for a healthy balance, asking for a minimum 35 per cent female representation on boards and executive management of listed companies, and 35 per cent female representation in federal and state cabinets,” she said.

The Executive Director also emphasised the success of WIMBIZ’s mentorship programmes, especially its Big Sister initiative, which reached over 1,500 secondary school girls in Uyo, Lagos, and Abuja this year.

“We connected these young girls with Big Sisters from the WIMBIZ community and corporate organisations for speed mentoring sessions on confidence building, entrepreneurship, career planning, financial literacy, and even personal hygiene, equipping them for life and the journey ahead,” she said.

Akingbohungbe ended her presentation with a call for unity and mutual support among women, saying, “Please hold hands with the person beside you. This is what collaboration means. Raise those hands and say along with me: We are sisters. We collaborate. We support each other. We achieve our goals together,” she told the audience.