Some women have recounted the daunting challenges they encounter navigating Nigeria’s political space, in a new documentary, Double Minority.
Birthed with the notable intention of amplifying the voices of women in politics, the documentary shines a spotlight on the triumphs, challenges, and resilience of women shaping Nigeria’s political landscape.
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The documentary, which premiered on Monday, 14 July, in Abuja, chronicles the journey of nine Nigerian female political candidates who ran for elective office in the 2023 election cycle, breaking barriers in a male-dominated arena, according to Daria Media, a news and media company.
Produced by Daria Media, the documentary explored the complexities of being a Nigerian woman in politics, whilst celebrating the achievements of these trailblazers through storytelling and interviews.
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It featured Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Ireti Kingibe, Nnenna Elendu–Ukeje, Adeola Azeez, Simi Olusola, Hauwa Gambo, Khadijah Iya, Munira Tanimu and Joyce Daniels.
In the documentary, the women spoke directly from their experiences and highlighted the systemic obstacles—cultural bias, limited funding, and the violence they confronted, just for daring to aspire to hold political office and lead.
Sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, the documentary amplifies the nationwide dialogue about the gender imbalance in Nigeria’s politics.
The Africa Director of the MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima, said the challenges faced by women in Nigeria’s political space is more of minoritisation, as they are not a minority in terms of numbers but in terms of the opportunities open to them.
Mr Shettima explained that the political status of women is an indicator of the development of a country.
Babatunde Ajala, who represented Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria said as the giant of Africa, Nigeria should lead the way in terms of women inclusion in politics. “Switzerland is promoting the effective participation of women in Nigeria’s politics. Democracy is strengthened when women participate in politics,” he said.
Violent attacks
In the documentary, some of the women highlighted violent attacks they had to face whilst campaigning. Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said while attempting to attend an event, she was manhandled by some men just by the entrance of the venue, who told her to turn back. Before she could get herself together, her bag had been flung, and she had fallen to the floor. She also highlighted the death of some female party leaders in some states.
She said houses were burnt and there were violent attacks on her team members and supporters that they had to be working with about five hospitals to attend to the injured.
Some other female politicians also spoke on how they were usually harassed by ‘bullies’ who used to threaten them if they were not given money.
Slut Shaming
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan also spoke on verbal abuse by men slut shaming female politicians, calling them prostitutes and telling them to go and attend to their families. She said it didn’t help that the sitting resident at the time said his wife belonged to the kitchen, the living room and the other room.
The women spoke on how they were told that they were incapable of making decisions without the influence of men, and how they were just inadequate.
Funding
The women lamented the huge financial investment that goes into getting the forms, campaigning, and so on. There is no respite for women; they have to run around chasing millions of naira for campaigning from family, friends, and loans, and it just never seems to be enough.
They noted that the idea of having a godfather for financial and other support was not particularly encouraging, as they would not be able to serve the people, but would keep serving the people who put them in power.
Women in Nigeria’s political landscape
In Nigeria, women hold just 3.6 per cent of elective office, a far cry from the 35 per cent recommended in the Nigerian National Gender Policy for women in elective and appointive public service positions.
President Bola Tinubu’s declaration in his inaugural speech also buoyed expectations that he had become more gender conscious, a PREMIUM TIMES report earlier highlighted. He promised to “prominently” feature women at all levels, reiterating a campaign promise.
In his manifesto document titled: “Renewed Hope 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria,” Mr Tinubu promised women 35 per cent representation in his government.
But two years on, that promise remains unfulfilled. For instance, only eight of his 48 ministers are women, a mere 17 per cent.
The documentary is premiering at a focal moment when the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill is once again at the forefront of national discourse. So far, the administration has also yet to issue a strong executive directive to drive inclusion.
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According to the media company, the disparity is striking, given that women make up almost half of Nigeria’s population and electorate.
The company said that despite conclusive research showing that nations where women are fully represented outperform across all development indices over countries that do not allow for full representation, Nigeria continues to lag very far behind.
The Executive Director, Daria Media, Kadaria Ahmed, said the documentary has three parts, the first of which premiered on Monday. She said the full documentary will be shown on Arise and Channels TV.
The documentary was dedicated to Simi Olusola, one of the female politicians featured, who sadly, passed away last year.
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