WOMEN POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN NIGERIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE NIGERIAN WOMEN TRUST FUND (NWTF): FOURTH REPUBLIC IN FOCUS

Despite having the most registered voters in the country, the low level of women's political representation in the National Assembly has become concerning. The Nigerian women's political representation currently lags behind the national gender policy standard of at least 35% women representation and other regional and international standards. The study focuses on the role of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) whose goal was to rally support for women and demand the 30% quota granted by the affirmative action policy, particularly in the national assembly as they stood apart from other non-governmental groups. This study investigates the strategies used by the NWTF to enhance women's political representation in the National Assembly. This study used a qualitative case study approach because it captures the key elements of a problem from the viewpoint of the study's primary informants and aids in understanding a complicated social phenomenon, while thematic analysis was used. The finding of this study shows that the National Women Trust Fund employs several strategies, such as guaranteeing quota representation of women in the state house assembly, mobilizing support, providing financial assistance, and raising awareness. The study also discovered that the National Women Trust Fund has improved women's lives by providing financial assistance, capacity-building programs, political mentoring, and raising awareness of women's rights. Thus, it concludes that the Women Trust Fund of Nigeria has impacted significantly the lives of women in Nigeria over the decades.