ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJ MARCH 2019 AFFIRMATIVE CHARTER OF DEMAND: EXPOSITORY STUDY OF UNDER - POSITIONING OF WOMEN IN SELECTED NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES UMAR ELEMS MAHMUD, TSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA PhD. Lecturer, Department of Public Administration Faculty of Administration Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria Abstract IHGFEDCBA The role of women in the society, on the domestic front and international arena, is so important that its value is inestimable. From the traditional responsibility as mothers and household managers, the place of women has attained the status of enhanced social, economic, political and professional colossus, in the continuous metamorphosis. Unfortunately, historical antecedents and contemporary practice have produced and retained conspiratorial forces designed to retrogress women's efforts at attaining the apogees of their chosen endeavours, whether in the public or private sector in Nigeria. The plethora of literature and empirical studies on aspects of the nature and causes of the marginalisation of women in Nigeria is now superfluous. This study contends that nonetheless, the gravity of the observed under-engagement of women in key management positions in Nigerian universities against the Affirmative Action Policy (2006), remains understudied and undermined, resulting in empirical gaps. Given the research problem, the object of this study is to empirically and statistically examine the discrepancies between the Affirmative Action and status of the hypothesised women under-engagement in Nigerian universities. The findings of the study largely confirm existence of the disparities. Accordingly, it is recommended that Nigerian universities should domesticate and activate the Affirmative Policy, in order to dismantle the discrimination against female representation in key management offices, besides dedicating specific slots, which should be aleast 35 per cent of the total available positions. Key Words: Women, Affirmative, Policy, Positions, Universities, Discrepancies. Introduction Women occupy a uni que position in societies: as mothers, fam ily administrators, or manager and key fam ily agents. From the traditional role as home keepers, the place of women in contemporary times has advanced to the more complex and strategic status in politics, economy, m ilitary, diplomacy, academia, science and technology. This changing role has redirected the erstwhile orientation about the place of women, to the current thinking that women can aspire to and indeed attain pari-passu heights w ith men in all human endeavours. Im plicitly, artificial barriers hitherto erected on the path of women ostensibly by tradition are being dismantled for want of relevance. 236