Any 2023 political arrangement should also include the APC and PDP reaching a gentleman’s agreement on gender zoning

 

 

 

Ayo Akinfe

(1) One of the reasons corruption thrives so much in Nigeria is because male politicians are under too much social pressure to display their wealth. Bringing more women into the political space will have a drastic effect in reducing corruption

(2) Women are no saints and of course there will always be the likes of Diezani but you will find out that corrupt ladies like her are by and large exceptions rather than the norm. Women for instance are not under pressure to marry four spouses, hold 10 chieftaincy titles, be the pillars of their local churches and mosques or sink boreholes for 20 villages in their local government areas

(3) I would thus like to see the APC and PDP agree to make at least a third of their gubernatorial candidates in 2023 women

(4) In South Africa, the ANC constitution compels it to make 50% of all its appointments female. Is their anything stopping us adopting this in Nigeria with regards to ministerial and commissioner appointments

(5) What nobody can say is that appointing more females will result in a dilution of quality. Just look at the likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Arunma Oteh, Amina Mohammed, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Damilola Ogunbiyi, Kemi Adeosun, etc. They actually stand head and shoulders above most of their male colleagues

(6) Personally, I would like to see a constitutional change whereby the president and Vice President cannot be of the same gender. If we have such a gentleman’s arrangement when it comes to the north/south and Muslim/Christian dichotomy, we can also do it with gender

(7) In 1999, we reached a consensus to zone the presidency to the southwest and in 2007 and 2019, we agreed to zone the office to the three northern geo-political zones. In 2023, we are veering towards zoning the presidency to the southeast geo-political zone. I would love it if the APC and PDP can reach a gentleman’s agreement compelling their two Igbo presidential candidates to pick a northern female as their running mate

(8) Say for instance the PDP pick Mama Taraba Aisha Alhassan and the APC pick UN deputy secretary Amina Mohammed, will these two be any worse than 90% of the previous Vice Presidents we have had since independence?

(9) When I look at the paddy-paddy manner in which Nigeria is run I believe having more women in office will actually throw a spanner in the works. Also, women are not going to go consulting marabouts, visiting Okija Shrine or go into the forest to make sacrifices naked on horseback to get elected

(10) To be honest, the biggest impediment to women’s advancement in Nigeria is women themselves. You will be shocked at how women rubbish female candidates and blatantly refuse to show any solidarity to their colleagues. I would like to see our female groups start off 2021 with a campaign pointing out that gender equality is not just about the freedom to buy expensive handbags

 

 

 

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