In search of leadership positions for women
Posted by Mike-Nifty Ayodeji | 26 December 2019 | 900 times
•Mike-Nifty Ayodeji
This question poses a
zillion dollar mark on it. It is not only in Nigeria is the question being
asked incessantly or limited to, it is also extended to other African
countries, except Liberia when Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was declared President of
Liberia and the first woman to be so elected in an African country. That was on
November 23, 2005, although she was not inaugurated until January 16, 2006.
Women in positions of
power are women who hold an occupation that gives them great authority,
influence, and/or responsibility. Historically, power has been distributed
among the sexes disparately. Power and powerful positions have most often been
associated with men as opposed to women. As the clamour for gender equality
increases, women are holding more and more powerful positions due to policy and
social reform.
Accurate and
proportional representation of women in social systems has been shown to be
important to long-lasting success of the human race. Additionally, a study
shows that “absence is not merely a sign of disadvantage and
disenfranchisement, but the exclusion of women from positions of power also
compounds gender stereotypes and retards the pace of equalisation.”
That led to a massive
protest few days back in Ogun State, South-West Nigeria, where certain groups
of women came together to demand inclusiveness of women in the cabinet formed
by the current governor of that state.
Whereas there are
humongous and enormously bogus number of the masculine gender already screened
and portfolios assigned to them for certain positions, the women want equal
right to be side by side the men. This feels like a competitive race where
there's none, obfuscating its empirical manifestations like there were not
women included earlier in the list of commissioners presented by the governor
to the Ogun State House of Assembly for
screening. But they want it equal to the numbers of male on the said list. That
is, if there are 30 ministerial positions, it should be 15 apiece; where we
would have 15 men and 15 women. But in a male-dominated political sphere, I
don’t think there can be that perfect possibility equilibrium among the sexes,
but there should be a rational inclusion of the women in various positions of authority.
The women should always note that to have them in top-notch positions in a
country is inextricably intertwined and only a mix of them like lime mixed with
pineapple is what they can have.
Furthermore,
combinatorics specifically for the women to become the president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, or become the governor of a state, and it is not only
limited to Nigeria alone but in other African countries.
Analytically speaking,
we have seen women in other positions like the instance of a deputy governor,
ambassadors, etc., and they all performed excellently well in those various
offices, except for the thieving former minister of petroleum in Nigeria that
stole virtually everything that belongs to the over 200 million Nigerians and
kept it all for herself and the enrichment of her family members. If we look at
the “Diezani Allison-Madueke” saga and her being charged to court back and
forth, we might want to be a little bit scared of appointing women in juicy
positions in Nigeria due to their materialistic nature. When the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned her, her gold accessories and
jewelry were confiscated by the commission. That showed women’s high level of
materialism. Well, unfortunately, she’s just being herself and I perceived
greatly there are still great women out there with golden hearts and great
visions to move the nation forward.
As I wrap this up, I
know someday and sometime years later, a woman could eventually become the
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also governors and even become
the Speaker of House of Representative, as currently obtains in the United
States of America, and maybe also Senate presidency assigned to a woman.
Also, can we have our
African queens become the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of
Naval Staff, Controller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, and also
have a woman become the first-ever Inspector-General of Police, etc.
I strongly believe
women are more meek and unbiased in their judgment. From my personal study of
women around the world, they can do much better governing and making things
right in top positions in a particular country.
Conclusively, we can
give just one woman a fair trial to rule, not limiting ourselves to when Dame
Virginia Ngozi Etiaba, CON, moved from deputy governor to acting governor of
Anambra State, South-eastern Nigeria. In that capacity, she was the first-ever
female governor in Nigeria from November 2006 to February 2007. This is not
about being hypocritical or a sesquipedalian man giving long sentences to
justify my points. No. I am just an advocate of gender equality in Africa, most
especially my dear beloved country Nigeria.
Lastly, people find
the presidential post and governorship positions tedious and the office a
service chief, etc., stressful for women and can only be occupied by men. Well,
like the old saying: “What a man can do, women can do, too.” We can adopt what
happened in Liberia in 2005 when history was made.
Can we give our
delectable queens a fair trial?
•Ayodeji, a public affair analyst and student
of economics at the National Open University of Nigeria, can be reached on:
nifty.mics@yahoo.com
Source: News Express
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