Count Down to 2023: Where are the Women? -By Pat Agu

Chart with Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies  —Women Radio, Lagos

Political Arena Show

By 

Temitope Oluleye

March 10, 2022.

HISTORY OF WOMEN IN NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

Dr. Sarah Jibril is Nigeria’s first female presidential candidate both at the primaries and main elections, having run for president on four occasions. She contested under the Social Democratic Party (1992) and People’s Democratic Party (1998–2015).

Prof. Remi Comfort Sonaiya joined her as the second candidate in 2015 under her KOWA party while she herself again, along with Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, Obi Ezekwesili, Elishama Rosemary Ideh, Iwuagwu-Emihe and Eunice Atuejide were out in 2019 elections to contest the presidential election.

THE SEVEN WOMEN CURRENTLY INTERESTED IN 2023 PRESIDENTIAL BID

There is a lot of improvement, because towards 2023 Presidential election,  there are seven (7) WOMEN who have declared interest towards the 2023 Presidential poll.

1. Mercy Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies
An Academic, Linguist and Communication Arts expert, Educationalist, Writer and Poet.      Country President of UN-POLAC & Founder of PMADIF.            (People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

2. Joyce Ogochukwu Nsaka
Founder of Sozo Women Foundation.
(The African Democratic Congress (ADC).

3. Cesnabmihilo Dorothy Nuhu-Aken’Ova
SRHR, Population and Development Expert.
(Social Democratic Party (SDP).

4. Ann Dozie-Enukora
HR Professional Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (Defunct DPR), Department of Petroleum Resources.
(All Progressives People’s Party (APC).

5. Elizabeth Emmanuel
Experienced Local government coordinator/ Local government chairman (ACCORD Party).

6. Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi Media Entrepreneur and Youth Development Advocate.

7. Mrs. Nonye, Josephine Ezeanyaeche, 102 Year Old Woman who also declares to run for President in 2023 with her manifesto said to be ready.

CURRENT PROBLEMS OF THREE GENDER RELATED BILLS

15. – For an Act to Provide for Special Seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for Related Matters.
30 senators voted in favour
58 senators voted against.

STATUS: NOT APPROVED

16. – For an Act to Provide for Affirmative Action for Women in Political Party Administration; Give women the 35 % affirmative action…and for Related Matters.
34 senators voted in favour
53 senators voted against.

STATUS: NOT APPROVED

However, work is still in progress with much agitations and hopes.

A LIST OF SEVEN (7) MAJOR PROBLEMS FACING THE NIGERIAN WOMEN IN POLITICS

These could be summarised as follow:
The problem of an African woman being looked down upon.
Stereo typing of women to certain social roles in the society.
Religious bias especially in Northern Nigeria.
There is no women to woman support.
There are not enough HeForShe mobilisation for women support.
Politics is money and funding are denied due to lack of trust they could win.

PRESENTATION OF SHORT PROFILE OF FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES

Nigeria has been encouraging the women folk, such that, the ‘Nomination form’ is free for all women in all political parties at all levels, while all they need to pay, is for the ‘Expression of interest form’, which isn’t cheap either for the women, amongst othe expenses.

Therefore, towards Party Primaries’ and general election Presidential Campaign for PMA CHOICE in People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Nigeria in 2023, we at Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies Campaign Organisation (PMACO) hereby presents her short Profile for the purpose of Female Presidency in Nigeria:

Prof. Olufunmilayo Adesanya- Davies is a frontline female Presidential aspirant on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election in the country. She is usually being known and popularly referred to on Socio-media as PMA-CHOICE!

Amb. Prof. Mercy Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies (PMA) is an household name in the annals of Nigeria politics whose exploits in the game of politics actively dominated by men could not be swept underneath. Having paid her dues in humanity services and to the nation as a whole, she has decided to venture into race for the topmost position in the Nigeria political realm being dominated mainly by men.

A SHORT PROFILE OF AMB. PROF. FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES

AMB. FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES, a linguist educationist public servant since 1988, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, has served as a University lecturer and administrator for thirty-six (36) years, 1985 to-date as a consultant, researcher and activist to-date. Mercy Olufunmilayo, a multi-talented teacher of teachers is a member of POLAC Int’l Peace Advocate, who currently serves as the Country President, International director, as well as, the Deputy Chairperson on the board, serving humanity towards achieving ECOWAS millennium goals. POLAC – Positive Livelihood Award Centre, alias UN-POLAC ‘s mandate is to enhance the effectiveness of the UN millennium development goals and UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme particularly the maintenance of peace and unity in diversity.

Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies hails from Ira, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. In the political parlance, once an ardent Member of ACCORD Party in Kwara State over the years, then a prominent People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member, and presidential aspirant in 2019, she later emerged as the presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in the 2019 election. She is the editor and co-author of the celebrated and popular presidential endorsed book, Jonathan/ Sambo Presidency in Nigeria: A Symbol of Peace, Unity and Progress, placed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in every University and National libraries of the Country, in line with the Commission’s continued efforts to promote publications, research quality and global visibility of academic staff in the Nigerian University System.

A credible woman of impeccable character, she believes in determination, professionalism, excellence, accomplishment and experience. One who cherishes the ideals of a democratic, free and egalitarian society, she thus emerged as the ticket bearer of MAJA and a female candidate in 2019. She is known for her leadership prowess and competence, strategic mind, ability and skills, vocal audacity, strong presence and personality. She demonstrates resilience as well as versatility, locally, nationally and internationally and political interest, education, humanitarian activities, general experience in administration, in over three decades.

Mercy Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davies with her B.A (Ife), M.A English (Ilorin), Ph.D Applied Linguistics & Communication Studies (Port Harcourt) and P.G.D.E (Port Harcourt) holds a Doctor of Divinity (D.D) and Professor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) of Northwestern Christian University, USA. She is also working currently on her second Ph.D in Clinical Linguistics and Psychology at TBU-GE, New York, USA, where she serves as an adjunct professor and consultant.

Mercy is an academic and educational consultant, on professorial cadre, at Rivers State University of Education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, where she has lectured in language, linguistics and communication studies in the past thirty-two years. She also facilitates courses in Language and General Studies at the National Open University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria and has served on sabbatical, as Deputy Provost at Life gate College of Education, Ilorin; Kwara State, Nigeria; Dean at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Regent University of Science and Technology, Accra, Ghana and a Visiting Professor to the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Mercy, an international educationist, is an External Examiner, supervisor of Doctoral dissertations, for the School of Postgraduate Studies of one of the African number One Universities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Mercy Davies facilitates Seminars and Workshops for Longman Pearson, Nigeria and Cinefores, Brainfriend Project, Lagos, Nigeria.

She has over one hundred national and international published articles, books and poems to her credit and has delivered several scholarly, professional and public lectures in Nigeria, Africa, UK, Europe, United States, Canada, etc. Mercy is a member of; The British Association for Applied Linguistics (UK), Internationale de Linguistiquee (AILA), International Phonetics Association, UK., Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN) Nigeria, The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and Teachers Registration Council (TRC) Nigeria etc. She also serves as External Examiner supervising Doctoral dissertations for the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Passionate about the transformation, development, progress and unity of Nigeria, she is an accomplished educationist, who believes she can boost Nigeria’s Human Capital Development Index and its Competitiveness in the area of skills and talent management. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the Chairperson of Princess Mercy Ade-Davies International Foundation (PMADIF) is the newly appointed Country President of POLAC vying for the position of Nigeria President as the only Amazon Aspirant of Nigeria’s largest party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.