The Need To Assign More Leadership Roles To Women In Nig

The Need To Assign More Leadership Roles To Women In Nig

There has been a wide agitation among Nigerian women on alleged marginalization in the nation’s democratization and leadership process.

The women have held that in spite of many of them in the country who are educated and talented, they still hold less than five per cent of decision-making positions.

The argument goes to affirm a widespread concern that women are under represented in the legislative and executive arms of government, regardless of the fact that a national gender policy has been formulated to promote a thirty five percent affirmative action for women in governance process.

This agitation from the Nigerian women should not come as a surprise, this is because from the global to local levels, women’s leadership and political participation have always been alleged to be restricted and hindered by their male counterparts, even when empirical observation had shown that women in position of responsibilities are noted for hard work, decisiveness and fairness in decision making.

According to a document released by the United Nations Statistics Division, UNSD in 2018, globally, only 23.8 percent of parliamentarians were women while as at 2017, only 31 countries in the world had thirty percent women ministers.

Nigeria could have said to have had its share of this alleged gender discrimination.

Going down the memory lane, since independence in 1960, the nation produced her first female senator in 1983 in person of Franca Afegbua in the defunct Bendel State, while the first female governor was when Dame Virginia Etiaba was sworn in as governor of Anambra state in 2006, a position she held for just four months.

Recently, out of the one hundred and nine sworn in senators, there are only three females, which is a reduction from seven in the ninth Assembly.

Among many factors adduced for hampering women participation in politics and other posts of responsibilities in the country, is the sedentary belief.

This includes the predominantly domestic roles where some cultures compel and confine women to domestic chores. Women are seen to belong to the home and must not be exposed.

Not only this, most Nigerian women are also incapacitated with the issue of finance, in other words, the money required to be involved in politics. Also of importance is the factor of incompatibility among women.

The women seem not to believe in their own course of political and economic greatness.

That is why they hardly support one another in their struggles, an advantage the men have taken to dominate them.

Records have shown that women in positions of authority tend to resolve national crises, advocate social and economic justice and champion emancipation programmes better than men.

In Nigeria, mention could be made of women who had pulled their weights and performed brilliantly in their callings.

Mention could be made of Fumni Ransome-kuti who fought to liberate the Egba women from tax harassment, Professor Allele Williams, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Benin who for her firmness and administrative doggedness was nicknamed “iron lady”.

Professor Dora Akunyili of blessed memory fought gallantly to save the nation from the shackles of fake drugs, Madam Ladi Kwali who promoted Nigerian Arts and Culture to international standard.

The list is endless, hence it will not be out of place if the present administration considers more women for various appointments.

Also, Civil society organizations, as well as political parties should increase the level of awareness of women into positions of responsibilities by organizing seminars and workshops not only for women in the cities but also for those in the villages.

By Olufemi Fulani, Edited By Grace Namiji.