BY PATRICK MGBODO
The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) yesterday intensified discussions on the role of women in politics, stressing the need to advance inclusive governance and strengthen democratic participation in Nigeria.
The conversation, anchored on a radio programme organised by the Vito Corsica Deck, brought together the member representing Oshimili South Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Bridget Anyafulu, and the Head of the Public and Private Law Department at the Admiralty University of Nigeria, Dr Egondu Ikeatu, as guest speakers.
While both speakers agreed that prevailing challenges make the prospect of a woman emerging as Nigeria’s president unlikely in the immediate term, they nonetheless called for stronger support systems to enable women to participate more meaningfully in the country’s democratic process.
‘’Even America is not ready for a woman presidency, otherwise, Hilary Clinton would have won as well as Kamala Harris. Because we use the West as the most decent people, we forget that Africans are also very decent people.
‘’Among all the female presidents who have led the world, some came from Africa. However, at the beginning of creation, when God made man, he also made the woman and stated that the woman was to be a helper to the man’’ Hon Anyafulu said.
Hon Anyafulu attributed the low participation of women in politics to patriarchal structures deeply rooted in African societies as well as economic constraints, even as she acknowledged that increased awareness has, to some extent, improved the fortunes of women in politics, particularly in Delta State.
Responding to controversies surrounding the performance of some women who previously held public office, the lawmaker said past shortcomings should not be held against the present generation, stressing that women must learn from earlier mistakes to emerge as better leaders in the future.
Dr Ikeatu charged women to move beyond the rhetoric of the past to concrete action in future, stressing that the quest for greater representation of women in politics should not be left to women alone.
She said women should not be given power out of pity, but based on their competence and capacity, stressing that men should feel no threat when women make meaningful contributions to politics.
‘’When women are handed leadership positions, they actually do not expect them to succeed. But they just want her to keep quiet for a bit, hoping that the women will get distracted’’ she said.