2023 PRESIDENCY: Female for President in Nigeria: The Voices of Reasoning! -By Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies

Ex-Presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in the 2019 election, Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies (PMA) on 25 November, 2021 on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women; has declared for the position of President in Nigeria: saying, “I will contest! I HAVE A DREAM, THAT ONE DAY, A WOMAN WILL EMERGE AS THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA, AND THE DREAM IS NOW !!!” – PMA. This is because, “if Nigerians elect a female president, it will be a turning point in the nation’s history. It will also be an honour to have Nigeria’s first female president. If Nigeria can give women a chance to rule, I am sure we will never regret it.” – Nabila Ado Ghali.

Nabila Ghali, of the Department of Mass Communication, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi wrote on February 9, 2021 an article titled, “Nigeria’s Next President Should Be A Woman” stating: “It is disappointing that since the return of democracy in 1999 only men have been presidents as the two major political parties in the country field only men as their presidential candidates. No woman has been fielded by any of the main parties like APC and PDP to run for the presidency. He added, “I wonder why a woman can’t be allowed to be president. Since our independence in 1960, no woman has been given the chance to become president and I think this is a big mistake. Having a woman president has many advantages.

In his view, “Women are known to be more honest than the men, therefore, a female president will build a virile economy, provide social amenities like good hospitals, education, among others. It is said that ‘what a man can do a woman can do better’. This is true because women all over the world have proved to be better leaders than men. For instance, some of the world’s famous leaders, namely, President Christiana Fernandez Kirchner of Argentina and President Dilma Roussef of Brazil, are women of virtue, respect and substance. They have proved that women can excel in a man’s world and are respected among world leaders for that.”

Therefore, he asserted, “if Nigeria’s next president is a woman, she will be upright, disciplined and very firm. She will realise that she is in a man’s world and that she has many challenges. This will make her prove her worth. She will not bend for anybody who could make her commit any error and if we have a president who is very firm and determined, corruption, Boko Haram insurgency and other forms insecurity will be eliminated. I must also state that women are very compassionate by nature although they can be firm. If Nigeria has a female president, she will feel strongly for the poor, and vulnerable; special homes and institutions will be built for them.”

A similar opinion was earlier expressed in Premium Times, Nigeria of April 30, 2021, in a write-up on 2023 PRESIDENCY, titled: Is Nigeria Ready For A Female President?, by Mr. Zubaida Baba Ibrahim who had opined that, “Women at all levels have been consigned to the backdrop, politically for years and this has seen them reduced to being tools for the political success of male counterparts. And as such, the women need to see through and reject the empty promises and petty gifts of male political machineries and support their fellow women folk in order to achieve gender balance, equality and equity in society.”

He added that, “not only Nigeria, but the entire global community expressed unbridled joy over the emergence of Mrs. Samia Suluhu Hassan as Tanzania’s new president. The 61-year-old was Tanzania’s immediate-past vice president until March 19, when providence made her the first citizen of the East African nation, following the demise of President John Magufuli. But unlike Tanzania, 60 years after independence, Nigeria, Africa’s giant, is yet to have a woman occupying even the seat of the vice president in past general elections had proved futile.”

Specifically, let’s take the Nobel Peace laureate and former Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who is the longest-serving female president in African history. Beyond her pioneering election, Sirleaf made gigantic steps during her presidency by committing to nonviolence and peace-building processes in her country. Another example is Malawi’s first female president, Joyce Banda, whose efficient book-keeping measures helped lift Malawi from the monetary suspension of Western donors and brought in cash injections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These role models have shown that women can perform wonderfully in governance and shaping the development of countries, affirmed Zubaida Ibrahim.

Emphatically, it should be noted that the political relevance and value of Nigerian women is not up for debate. Over the years, hundreds of women have been gathering at various political rallies to demonstrate support for their male equivalents through advocating, campaigning and mobilising others to vote. Beyond that, on the election days, we see women trooping in their magnificent numbers, the elderly and the youthful, queueing up to cast their ballots for male candidates. Yet, women are being marginalised whenever it comes to elective and appointive positions. This is so sad!

Furthermore, to solidify this standpoint, out of 84 million registered voters nationwide in the previous national elections, women have accounted for over 40 million, meaning that they make up to 47.14 per cent of the total eligible voters, which can be a measure of the remarkable increase of women’s participation in politics. Despite this, there is a deep-rooted level of under-representation of women in politics when compared to their male counterparts. Thus, Nigeria needs more women to strive for elected offices in the spirit of proper political representation in society. The poor representation of women in governance has become an enabler of discriminatory acts, marginalisation and social closure.

In the same vein, groups have canvased for woman Presidency in 2023 in Nigeria. One of such groups, last year on 6th August 2020 was “The Excellent Women International (EXWI)”, a Non-Governmental Organization, is pushing for deeper women involvement in politics, saying it would be a most excellent development if a woman emerges the President of Nigeria in 2023. The National Coordinator of EXWI, Dr. Christabel Okoye, made the disclosure when the organization honoured the Minister of Women Affairs, Dr. Paulen Talen and other accomplished women, for their outstanding and excellent achievements. According to her, countless numbers of distinguished and accomplished Nigerian women abound in the country that will help grow the country. She explained that before nominating the Minister for the award, the NGO put into consideration, her contributions to the development of the country and her performances in various leadership positions where she has served. She added that Dr. Tallen remains a motivation to women who wish to participate in politics.

She urged the Minister to keep up the good work, adding that God uses people like her not only to represent women, but also to prove that women when encouraged could outperform their male counterparts in leadership and politics. Okoye noted that a female president in Nigeria would not only address the country’s problems, but could also perform better than the previous male presidents. She said: “A woman, if voted into the position of President in this country will outperform her male counterparts, not even 99%, but 100%. Give a woman the position and watch her for the next two years and see the wonder she will perform. Have you forgotten the performances of late Prof. Dora Akunyili and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala?”

Responding to questions that fellow women voted against Mrs Sara Jibril in those days when she aspired for presidency as the first woman, Okoye said: “No. Women didn’t vote against her either. The women are trying their best. Do you know what it means to be a woman; to coordinate a home; train up children; a career woman too? Though, politician, it isn’t easy to be a woman. Women are trying.” Now they are willing and even ready to try the more, assured Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies.

Therefore, Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies further admonishes as from now onwards, that every woman should endeavour to speak to at least fifty (50) women to vote for “A WOMAN PRESIDENT” in Nigeria. Tell FIVE (5) WOMEN daily from now till 2023 elections. Remember, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Your happiness starts from you and not from someone else.” It’s time for us to join forces together against the violent women abusers as well as terrorists, jihadists, boko haram, ISWAP, killer Fulani herdsmen and bandits who are bent to destroy, rape our mothers and dis-virgin our girls and daughters as their duty and hobby in Nigeria. The mothers say NO! So should all the Nigerian YOUTHS and all the “He for She” and all the MEN campaign and vote for the first female president in Nigeria in 2023.” This could and would be the only functional approach.

Amb. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies is the current Country President and International Director of United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) International Peace Advocates. In her words, “when women are empowered and put in top political positions, we can personally drive this course of violence against womanhood. As such, towards 2023 elections, we need to mobilise ALL WOMEN IN THE COUNTRY from the state level to the grassroots, educated, illiterate, northerners and southerners, CHRISTIANS and MUSLIMS to vote for “A WOMAN PRESIDENT “and also vote for women at all levels. The educated are fewer and should drive the none educated larger community in the grassroot.

Thus, “a political pressure group and accountability vanguard known as Democratic Watch for Good Governance in Nigeria (DWGGN) has called on a university Don whose credentials are hard to beat, Prof. Mercy Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davies to occupy the seat of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023. The call was made over the weekend at the council’s office in Port Harcourt during its quarterly meeting. The group opined that the country is in total shambles and needed urgent remedial intervention. According to the president of the association worldwide, Comr. Samuel Onyekachi, the state of the nation is nothing to write home about particularly, insecurity resulting from bad leadership.

The group who frowned at the low level performance of the present administration, maintained that it is time to shop for a credible candidate who would rescue the people from the hands of mindless cabals. He said the selection of Amb. Adesanya-Davies was in view of her leadership and developmental strides to the Nigerian community so far at large as a woman of excellence and integrity.

Congratulations to every woman in Nigeria! Remember, that PMA said, “I HAVE A DREAM, THAT ONE DAY, A WOMAN WILL EMERGE AS THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA, AND THE DREAM IS NOW !!!” – PMA.