Replicating the Rwandan Success Story: An Evaluation of Millennium Development Goal 3 and Strategies for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 in Nigeria.

This paper evaluates the extent to which Nigeria achieved Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals (gender parity in the political process) between 1999 and 2015 and drawing from the Rwandan success story, suggests strategies for the achievement of this parity (as contained in Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals) from 2015 to 2030. It also examined other countries that recorded success in this area under the MDG regime. Relying mainly on qualitative method and documentary evidence, predicated on the social dominance theory, the paper posits that the age-long patriarchal system in Nigeria sustains and reinforces the structural exclusion of women from electoral politics, hence the country's failure to achieve MDG 3. This patriarchal system ensures that there is no parity between the sexes in the political process. This is despite the fact that women constitute more than 50% of the population but yet, comprise less than 10% of Nigeria's legislature. This paper, therefore, submits that for Nigeria to achieve the 2030 Agenda on gender parity in the political process, it should move beyond mere policy rehearsals and advocacy and take concrete steps such as instituting a quota system in its electoral laws, as Rwanda has done. Where necessary, tables were used for more elucidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]