Arming Women for National Development

“We are not here to share wrapper o! For decades, we have been satisfied with chasing shadows while the men grab the substance. This summit marks the end of that era. Today, we will discuss our issues, we will learn how to play politics and win squarely, but we will not share wrapper o!”  These were the words of the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Iyom Josephine Anenih as she welcomed Nigerian women to the recently concluded National Summit on Women Participation in Politics.

With an estimated population of 140 million people, it is common knowledge that Nigeria is the most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa. But poverty remains a widespread issue in Nigeria; nine out of ten Nigerians live on less than US$2 a day just as the population keeps growing at an astronomical rate of 3.2 percent per year, a pace that places an enormous weight on the country’s efforts to raise standards of living for its citizens. Nigerian women make up a good proportion of the huge population of the country and they have equally remained the most impoverished segment of the society all thanks to antiquated and appalling laws, customs and norms contributing in no small measure to keeping them on the breadline.

These obnoxious acts impinge on most of their constitutionally enshrined human rights as members of the society as well as other forms of discrimination against their equal participation in the management of national and societal affairs. There are always different forms of alibis from the precepts of religion and selfish societal beliefs.

Even with this considerable and intimidating population, Nigerian women have often failed to successfully place their demands on the right platform in their quest to enhance their status in the society. Their inability to leverage on their number may not only be attributed to their lack of political and economic consciousness or their lack of will power to surmount challenges from their male counterpart; it can also be related to their ignorance of the fact that “a bunch of broom sweeps better than a stick of broom.”

Numerous issues such as maternal health, 35 percent affirmative action in all appointments and elective positions as contained in the national gender policy, gender mainstreaming and violence against women, all of which affect their lives, are entrenched in several international protocols that Nigeria has ratified but refused to domesticate in the light of several contentious issues that observers have repeatedly described as irrelevant in the domestication efforts of the protocols that should advance the growth of  women.

All efforts exerted by these women groups to make a statement in the polity has not really guaranteed the expected success such that one may be tempted to conclude that Nigerian women have yet to fully understand the potentials in their number and the society has continued to capitalise on these ambiguities to relegate them to the background in favour of their male counterparts.

It was probably in response to these obvious shortcomings that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the growth and development of Nigerian women for national development, recently convened a political awareness summit in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (OSSAP/MDGs) to discuss and proffer solutions to critical issues obstructing the full participation of Nigerian women in national politics and with great emphasis on their contribution to the strengthening of democratic principles and practices in the country.

The National Summit themed “Women in Democracy, an imperative for good governance and national development” was apt considering the proximity of the 2011 general elections, the pledge of President Goodluck Jonathan to conduct credible elections and the drive to have more women contribute to national development through active participation in politics.

About 5,000 women politicians from the 52 registered political parties in the country were invited to the summit which started with plenary sessions at the International Conference Centre Abuja, climaxing with an all inclusive rally at the Eagles Square Abuja. And, at least one hundred women from each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory were present at the summit to draw up a ‘national women political agenda’ for 2011 and beyond.

According to the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, the summit was an opening to mobilise women for participation in the build-up to the 2011 general elections and beyond, especially in creating a critical mass of support for female candidates and women lobby groups. 

Anenih said that the Summit will also examine the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in engendering the election of female political office holders in Nigeria. She added that a special session with the political parties was also expected to identify gender friendly political parties in Nigeria.

The summit also underlined the need for Nigerian women to register with existing political parties in the country as well as cast their votes for their preferred candidates, all of which will guarantee their even participation in the democratic process.

While addressing the large gathering of women at the summit, the minister further explained that it was not an August event to mobilize the women for any particular registered political party in the country as the case may appear. She however noted that it was an opportunity for these party leaders to convince the women of the broad window of opportunities available to support their aspirations on their respective platforms.

She mentioned that it was neither a political nor social jamboree as it has previously been with similar gatherings but a commitment to change the political perception of women, a business she claims requires all hands on deck. Anenih added that the intricacies of politics require experience and commitment to achieve results, which were the reasons for the assemblage.

“We are here because we are not satisfied with the status quo; we want to change our mindsets on playing politics to change the society and make it better for our men and children. I advocate for the involvement of women in politics because it is the fastest way to mainstream our peculiar issues and concerns. We need to start getting involved in the politics of our country”, The Minister stated.

The wife of the president, Dame Patience Jonathan, in support of the minister’s clarion call for women to maximise their numerical strength and other potentials in Nigerian politics, tasked them to register with any of the existing political parties in the country as a first step towards participating in the electioneering exercise. She stated that the continuous cries of injustice and foul play by women will mean nothing if they fail to participate extensively to make their votes count in the 2011 general elections.

Anenih equally called on political parties in the country to expand the window of opportunities available to women in politics as a form of encouraging their increased contribution to national development, a request President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo acceded. The two made promises of a bigger window of opportunities for women in its forthcoming primary elections for the 2011 general polls.

As expected from the minister’s declaration that the summit was intended to teach the women the rudiments of politicking, plenary session themes that revolved around the prospects for gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria’s electoral reform processes, women engagement with political parties, funding for women politicians, role of the media in women political participation, as well as effective negotiation strategy and all others were discussed by speakers and discussants. Some of the speakers were former Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Mrs. Kofo Akerele-Bucknor, former Lagos state governorship aspirant, Chief Remi Adiukwu-Bakare, National Secretary of Action Congress, Dr. Usman Bugaje, former Director General of the NTA, Chief Tony Iredia, Chairperson House Committee on Diaspora, Honourable Abike Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Mrs. Amina Az-Zubair and the Deputy Governor of Osun state and Erelu Sola Obada.

The summit paved the way for Nigerian women to express their displeasure at their political status and shut-out from mainstream politics by the society. One thing that they left the summit with is an obvious realisation of the strength and potential in their number as well as their resolve to play an all inclusive politics to the benefit of their colleagues.
While the Minister stated at the Eagle Square rally to round off the summit that Nigerian women were fortunate to have a government that is committed to the promotion of gender equality as a key component in its overall development agenda, she reiterated her commitment to ensuring that Nigerian women take advantage of the available opportunity to lunch their developmental intentions for societal growth.

Maybe the results of the summit that seeks to change the entire political mindset of Nigerian women who have been sidelined in national politics will be best judged by the political status of Nigerian women after the 2011 general polls. Maybe there will be a paradigm shift in the number of women political office holders. Maybe the summit will pave the way for a Nigerian political history where there will be an emergence of a female governor or any other highly ranked national political office holder apart from Speaker of House of Representatives which had previously been occupied by one of their own, Honourable Patricia Etteh. Maybe women would become more active in national development. Only time will tell.