By Blessing Otobong-Gabriel
Environmentalist and human rights advocate Annkio Briggs has called for far-reaching reforms to strengthen the political, economic and social standing of Ijaw women, urging greater representation in governance and decision-making at all levels across the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
Briggs made the call on Friday while delivering a paper titled Policy Advocacy for the Ijaw Nation at the four-day 2026 Leadership Conference of Ijaw Women Connect Worldwide, IWCW, in Abuja.
The conference, themed Strengthening Women in Leadership for Good Governance and Nation Development, brought together Ijaw women from across Nigeria and the diaspora to explore strategies for advancing women’s leadership and influence.
Briggs urged that women should occupy at least 35 per cent of leadership positions within the Ijaw National Congress (INC), state governments, legislative bodies and local government councils, stressing that they must be entrusted with meaningful decision-making responsibilities rather than symbolic appointments.
She lamented that Ijaw women continue to bear the environmental and economic burden of oil exploration while remaining largely excluded from opportunities within the oil and gas industry.
To address the imbalance, Briggs advocated the establishment of digital skills trust funds for Ijaw girls, low-interest cooperative financing for women entrepreneurs, and mandatory female representation in the execution of Community Development Agreements, pipeline contracts and exploration licences affecting host communities.
She also called for stronger legal protection for women activists, reforms to customary inheritance laws affecting widows, equal voting rights for female traditional rulers, and the inclusion of Ijaw women’s history in school curricula.
Emphasising the importance of women’s participation in public affairs, Briggs said sustainable development within the Ijaw nation and Nigeria as a whole would remain elusive unless women were fully involved in governance and policymaking.
She further appealed to traditional institutions, political leaders and the Federal Government to accord the Ijaw nation the recognition it deserves as a major stakeholder by promoting greater inclusion, justice and respect for its people.
In his keynote address, former Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, represented by Lawrence Pepple of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency, urged the leadership of IWCWW to establish mentorship programmes for aspiring female politicians and create a dedicated campaign fund to support credible women seeking elective office.
Kuku also encouraged the organisation to expand literacy, digital skills and civic education initiatives in riverine communities, establish women-focused economic empowerment and agribusiness funds, and forge stronger partnerships with traditional rulers, youth organisations and progressive male leaders to enhance women’s participation in governance.
Earlier, the Founder and Pioneer President of Ijaw Women Connect Worldwide, Princess Rosemary John-Oduone, said the conference was organised to promote greater inclusion of Ijaw women in leadership and decision-making across the Niger Delta and the country.
She noted that participants attended from several states across Nigeria, as well as from the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, reflecting the organisation’s expanding global network and its commitment to empowering Ijaw women and strengthening their role in nation-building.
