6.4.3 The communication sector has witnessed enormous revolution in Nigeria within a few years. As at 1999, the number of telephone lines in the country was less than 500,000. With the adoption of the GSM, the number of telephone lines has increased to over 80 million. The increase in internet activities also necessitated the establishment of a Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in order to explore and take advantage of the growing sector. 6.5 Objective 5: Progress towards Gender Equality, Particularly Equal Access to Education for Girls at All Levels. 6.5.1 The unsatisfactory representation of women in political positions in Nigeria has been a continuous issue of general concern. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly emphasizes encouragement of national integration and prohibited discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association etc. Nigeria also adopted a national gender policy to address the issue of gender parity and increased school enrollment for the girl child. 6.5.2 In preparation for the April 2011 General Elections, in a bid to ensure that women secured at least 35 percent representations in both elective and appointed positions, so as to form a strong national lobby group, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development inaugurated a 100-women National Consultative Group. The group was saddled with the responsibility for mobilizing women politicians at national, zonal and state levels, for active and effective participation in the political process. Though the 35% target was not achieved in elective positions, the group succeeded in raising women political consciousness as well as affecting an increase in the number of women occupying appointment positions. The percentage increase in women participation in politics is increasing gradually. The number of women in elective positions increased significantly from 27 in 1999 to101 in 2011, while the percentage of women participation in politics grew from about 7% in 2007 to about 8% in 2011. The increases are indicated in the table below. 93