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Tag: gender equality

  • ANALYSIS: Tinubu’s ministerial list and female representation

    ANALYSIS: Tinubu’s ministerial list and female representation

    Nigeria, with an estimated population of over 200 million people, stands as the most populous nation in Africa.

    Women and girls make up approximately 49.32 per cent of the total population and as such, their presence and contributions are crucial to the social fabric and progress of the country.

    The election or appointment of women in successive Nigerian governments, therefore, has been a topic of discussion, and the recent ministerial nominations by President Bola Tinubu have once again, shed light on the ongoing gender disparity in political leadership.

    The appointment of ministers who make up the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is a crucial aspect of governance, and citizens expect it should reflect the government’s commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and gender equality.

    On Friday, the presidency announced the replacement of Maryam Shetty from Kano with Mairiga Mahmud, and the addition of former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo to the list of ministerial nominees.

    President Tinubu had previously transmitted 47 names of ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening.

    The names were submitted in two batches – the first list containing 28 nominees was transmitted on July 27, while a second list of 19 nominees was forwarded to the Senate on Wednesday, August 2nd.

    Friday’s Ministerial nomination adjustment brings the total number of ministerial candidates to 48, surpassing the 47 nominated by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 to set a new record.

    In one of his campaign promises and inaugural speech, President Tinubu had said he would ensure equity and fairness to women in all relevant aspects of the country’s social, economic and political life.

    “Working with the National Assembly, we will aim to pass legislation promoting female employment in all government offices, ministries, and agencies. The goal will be to increase women’s participation in government to at least 35 per cent of all governmental positions.

    A comparison with previous administrations reveals a recurring pattern of underrepresentation of women in ministerial appointments.

    “This legislation shall also mandate the federal executive (particularly the cabinet and core senior advisers) to reserve a minimum number of senior positions for women,” Tinubu’s campaign manifesto dubbed ‘Renewed Hope’ states.

    However, like previous ones, Tinubu’s nominations fall short of the desired gender balance, as only nine out of the 48 nominees are females, representing a mere 18. 75 per cent of the total.

    To achieve the 35 per cent representation for women at the FEC, the President ought to have nominated 17 female ministerial candidates.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term in 1999, nine out of 47 ministers were women, accounting for 19.1 per cent representation.

    However, this percentage decreased to 15.1 per cent in his second term when only five women were appointed out of 33 ministers.

    Under President Umaru Yar’Adua’s leadership in 2007, seven out of 39 ministers were women, representing 17.9 per cent of the FEC.

    The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 marked a significant advancement in women’s representation, with 13 female ministers out of a total of 41, reaching a milestone of 31.7 per cent.

    Subsequently, during President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, the percentage of women in the FEC dropped to 16.6 per cent in his first term, with six women out of 36 ministers.

    In his second term, the representation slightly improved to 15.9 per cent, with seven female ministers out of 44.

    This disparity witnessed over successive administrations indicates the absence of measures to enhance gender representation at the highest levels of decision-making and raises concern about the government’s commitment towards achieving gender equality.

    Female Representation at 10th Assembly only 3.6%

    The underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly also remains a concerning setback for the goal of women’s political participation, as advocated in the Beijing Affirmative Action.

    With only 17 women elected out of 469 members – three in the Senate and 14 in the House of Representatives, their representation in the 10th National Assembly accounts for only 3.6% of the total members

    These successful 17 were among the 286 women who competed in the party primaries for the 360 House of Representative seats and the 92 who contested for the 109 Senate seats.

    In March 2022, the Assembly rejected a bill proposing affirmative action for women in political party administration.

    Additionally, lawmakers opposed a bill that would have designated specific seats for women in both national and state legislatures.

    A report obtained from the UN Statistics Division website revealed that the national average of women’s political participation in elective and appointive positions in Nigeria remains 6.7 per cent.

    The report states that this percentage is below the global average of 22.5 per cent and the West African average of 15 per cent.

     

  • NDDC Board Chairman, Onochie tasks stakeholders on gender equality

    NDDC Board Chairman, Onochie tasks stakeholders on gender equality

    Lauretta Onochie, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Governing Board Chairman, has called on all stakeholders to ensure equitable treatment for all, irrespective of gender.

    Adding her voice to the worldwide campaign, Onochie said: “We must all learn to treat our girls the same way we treat our boys.”

    She spoke at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt during a courtesy visit by the female champions of the Commission’s football tournament.

    Expressing her delight at receiving the female champions in March when the world focuses attention on women’s matters, she urged all stakeholders to work together to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that one of the 17 goals established by United Nations in 2015 seeks to achieve gender quality and empower all women and girls.

    NDDC Board Chairman, Onochie tasks stakeholders over gender discrimination
    Lauretta Onochie (4th left) and female champions of the Commission’s football tournament

    “Achieving gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

    “Some of the key targets and indicators of SDG 5 include ending all forms of discrimination, violence and harmful practices against women and girls; ensuring women’s full participation and leadership in all levels of decision-making; providing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights; promoting women’s economic empowerment; and enhancing women’s role in peacebuilding and humanitarian action,” Onochie asserted.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that sometime December 2022, the Senate had confirmed Onochie and 12 other nominees as chairperson and members of the board of the NDDC respectively.

    Those confirmed, apart from Ms Onochie are Dimga Erugba (Abia), Emem Wills (Akwa Ibom), Dimaro Denyanbofa (Bayelsa), Oruk Duke (Cross River), Gbenga Edema (Ondo) and Elekwachi Dinkpa (Rivers).

    Others are Mohammed Abubakar (Nasarawa), Sule-Iko Sani (Kebbi), Tahir Mamman (Adamawa), Samuel Ogbuku (Bayelsa) MD for a term of two years, Charles Airhiavbere (Edo) Director of Finance and Charles Ogunmola (Ondo) Director of Projects.

  • NASS: Of gender equality, life pension and immunity – By Ehichioya Ezomon

    NASS: Of gender equality, life pension and immunity – By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Amidst the ongoing raw politicking for the 2023 general election, it’s apposite to revisit two issues in the 5th Alteration Bill 2022 to the 1999 Constitution: the Bills on Gender Equality, and Life Pension and Immunity for principal officers of the Legislature and Judiciary.

    In the storm that greeted the amendments, the National Assembly (NASS) withdrew its disapproval of, and pledged to take a second look at Gender Equality, and other areas of concerns to Nigerians.

    Lately, Senate President Ahmad Lawan has appealed to Nigerians with pending issues on constitution review not to lose hope, “as the doors of the NASS are open for further engagements.”

    Receiving members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Dr Lawan said: “The D-Day (consideration of the Bills) came. And the voting took place and the rest is history, as they would say. We all feel sad but then that is democracy.

    “But what you have done today is to take democracy to Nigerians because what you have done today is to show your belief in the parliament, the National Assembly.

    “And you have given an example to the rest of Nigerians that never lose hope because your request failed. So many things failed. Of course, many more passed because we have casualties in our bills.”

    Lawan’s appeal to other Nigerians, as individuals, institutions or organisations, CSOs, NGOs: “If there was anything that you wanted done or passed during the constitution amendment exercise, the latest one, and it failed, hope should not be lost.

    “We are still around and this parliament is the people’s parliament. It is the only parliament that can kickstart the process and therefore, people can still come back and remind us about their issues and maybe we change our strategies, the lobbyists and maybe we look at why it failed and how it can pass.”

    Nigerian women had trust that the Bills on Gender Equality would be passed. But the NASS thrashed them, and incurred a semblance of the idiom, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” a line adapted from William Congreve’s play, ‘The Morning Bride’ (1697).

    The legislators had missed or misread the resolve of the women to see through the three Bills among the 68 items recommended by the Constitution Review Committees of both Chambers of NASS.

    The consideration of the 68 items preceded the commemoration of the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, to mark a call to action for accelerating gender equality.

    As Gender Equality is “fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs,” Nigerian women and men had hoped that the Bills’ passage would serve to herald the 2022 IWD.

    The Beijing Declaration of September 15, 1995, envisages, at least, 35 per cent representation of women in appointive and elective positions, which campaign the Nigerian women took to the NASS.

    The Bills were for Special (additional) Seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; Affirmative Action for Women in Political Party Administration; and Providing Reserved Quota for Women in Appointments and Recruitment.

    Nothing in the public domain suggested the Bills won’t pass, but the presence of Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, in the Senate was indicative of the behind-the-scenes thinking of the lawmakers.

    In a hide-and-seek game, members of the Red Chamber, showing no sign that they’d diss Mrs Buhari’s pleas, gave her a red-carpet reception. But that’s exactly what they did behind her back.

    Ditto for members of the House of Representatives, who, without displaying diplomatic niceties, killed the Bills in the presence of Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The Joint Sitting of the NASS also dumped the three Bills, and thus generated spontaneous demonstrations, mostly headed by women, that resonated in Abuja, and virtually all the capital cities of Nigeria.

    The women exhibited a grit determination to ensure a positive response to their campaign that one woman described as “a lifelong struggle for women emancipation in this 21st Century.”

    Ultimately, the lawmakers heard the women’s voices, to reconsider the Bills, “before they (women) accuse us of being chauvinists, which they have labelled us before now,” a senator retorted.

    Now to the Bills on Life Pension and Immunity for principal officers of the Legislature and Judiciary tucked in among the 68 items (Bills) recommended by the NASS Constitution Review Committees.

    Like a sore thumb, the two items were seen for what they really were: providing for current and future political and financial interests of heads of the legislature, and the judiciary.

    More so as the committees’ heads, Senate Deputy President, Ovie Omo-Agege, and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, would’ve been immediate beneficiaries of the largesse.

    Yet, if the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary are co-equal, why not extend to the heads of other arms of government what the “principal officers” of one arm enjoy? That’s equity in practice!

    For instance, the Executive, whose principal officers are the President and Vice President, regards itself and, ipso facto, acts as the number one arm, superior to the Legislature and Judiciary.

    In that status, the President and Vice President (and Governor and Deputy Governor) enjoy life pension and immunity. Why not include the principal officers of the Legislature and Judiciary?

    That’s the review committees’ reasoning, even amid canvassing for removal of life pension and immunity from the Constitution, to check financial abuse and overreach by beneficiaries of those provisions.

    But thanks to the “Committee of the Whole” of the two chambers, and the Joint Committee of NASS, the two Bills were consigned to the dustbin in the February 2022 voting on the 68 items.

    To the harmonised 68 items. Is it by coincidence that they mimicked the 68 items in the Exclusive Legislative List in the 1999 Constitution that Nigerians have advocated for drastic trimming?

    Maybe the lawmakers wanted proponents of a lean Exclusive Legislative List to see them kicking off “restructuring” that President Muhammadu Buhari says are in the NASS purvey to discharge.

    Certainly, the NASS attempts have moved five items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, while one item was refused from inclusion in the Exclusive Legislative List.

    They are: Airports; Fingerprints, Identification and Criminal Records; Prisons (re-designated as Correctional Services); Railways; Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electricity in areas covered by the National Grid; and Collection of VAT by States (an apparent win for States on the back of a favourable judgment by Rivers State in that regard).

    There’re other good Bills in the amendments, but three BIG questions: Will the 36 State Houses of Assembly concur with NASS on the 68 Bills it voted on? Will State Governors influence State Assemblies to reject Financial Independence and/or Autonomy for State Judiciary and State House of Assembly? Will President Buhari assent to the 5th Alteration Bill 2022, having regard to his repeated rejection of the Electoral Amendment Act 2022, and failure of NASS to pass a Bill to override the President veto?

    The answers to these questions are playing in the wind, as Nigerians wait on the NASS to fulfil its pledge to further rework the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

    *Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant writes from Lagos, Nigeria

  • Women at war: Gender equality bills to the rescue – By Dakuku Peterside

    Women at war: Gender equality bills to the rescue – By Dakuku Peterside

    By Dakuku Peterside

    Within the last three weeks, three significant events happened. First, during the constitution amendment, the National Assembly rejected five gender bills, and as expected, our womenfolk were enraged. The world celebrated women’s day, and this year the campaign theme was “Breaking the Bias”. Nigerian women from all backgrounds and social strata mobilised in their numbers to protest at the National Assembly in what they considered the mother of all protest, which signposts the new dawn for women. What is the significance of these events? Beyond the rhetoric of affirmation and striving for gender equality, what must Nigerian women do to confront the hydra-headed problem of the girl child and women in our society? Post gender bills, what real issues stop women from realising their full potential in Nigeria? These questions call for introspection and reflection on the urgency of social change in gender relations.

    These recent events and related responses demonstrate the acute sensitivity and sheer determination Nigeria women have about issues of gender inequalities. Their actions are galvanising a critical mass of voices clamouring for a change to the status quo, and the ring of these voices are reaching a crescendo in advocating for women empowerment and simply asking for our Nigerian women to enjoy just a few of the privileges Nigerian men have that seem ‘commonsensical’ and normal.

    I must unequivocally state that I stand with these women in their struggle for fairness and equity. I salute their resolute stand in fighting for what is right. I believe that a nation that neglects or sidesteps 50% of its population and workforce simply because of path dependency on patriarchy is a nation doomed to fail. Improving and harnessing the talents and gifts in our women is a no brainer, and it baffles most people that any institution will be insensitive or undermine this, much more an institution representing this 50% population in the national assembly.

    The five gender bills rejected at the National Assembly will not bring gender equality. But they are the first and foundational steps in the climb to gender equality. These bills request women to have a minor stake in areas historically dominated by men.

    These five bills include: first, a bill to create additional seats for women to increase women’s representation in the National Assembly – this bill will lead to a significant increase in the number of women in the Parliament, which currently stands at 5 per cent; second, a bill to enable Nigerian women to transfer citizenship to foreign husbands, a right that every Nigerian man married to a foreign spouse enjoys; third, a bill to ensure affirmative action of at least 35 per cent in political party administration and appointive positions across federal and state levels; fourth, a bill to provide a minimum of 20 per cent of ministerial or commissioner nominees are women; fifth, a Bill to allow a woman to become an indigene of her husband’s state after five years of marriage. The National Assembly rejected all these bills, and womenfolk primarily saw it as a marker of insistence on the old order.

    The broader significance of the rejection of these bills is that the progress of Nigerian women in the quest for a more egalitarian society seems to be momentarily truncated. All the proposed constitutional amendments were meant to end bias against women and ensure the minimisation, if not total removal, of barriers millions of women faces based on their gender. These rejections speak volumes as to the mindset of most people, especially men in power and male-dominated institutions. As products of patriarchy, the National assembly reified the dominant ideology prevalent in our society, which is sympathetic to the plight of our women but fights hard to stop any change to the status quo. This ideology is seen in culture, religion, and politics.

    Suffice to say that this is not a typical Nigerian problem andseem global. Still, most societies, especially developed ones, have made progress in improving the opportunities available to women and the quality and impact of women in their society. These societies are tackling these dominant masculine ideologies at the basic levels of family, community, and religion by creating an ecosystem to normalise gender equality.

    Any struggle for gender equity that neglects the battle for the minds and hearts of people and advocacy to make people understand the importance of gender equality at the micro-levels of society will not succeed. Little wonder many of the representatives, although paying lips service to the issues of gender equality, refused to vote for it in the constitutional amendment voting in the hallowed chambers. The bills succumbed to the intricate politics, intrigues, and horse-trading peculiar to the national assembly. The high-powered advocacy given to this bill by the wives of the president, vice president and all the governors in Nigeria is not enough to get both houses to pass some of the bills.

    This rejection was more poignant because it happened when women worldwide celebrated “International Women’s Day” with the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. This celebration is at the core of putting women and their issues at the heart of global politics and governance and the emerging global socio-political and socio-economic milieu.

    Women worldwide watched to see how the Nigerian Parliament would vote on those issues and give them something to celebrate this year. They were utterly disappointed. Little wonder our women took to the street and marched to end oppressive tendencies against them. Women in their numbers marched to the National Assembly to register their disgust at the parliamentarians’ actions that failed to pass the five gender bills.

    The protest acknowledges that in most countries, even in advanced democracies, better women representation came out of protracted legislative and civil rights actions. A price must be paid for change, irrespective of its low or high cost. Freedom is not free, and our women have shown they are ready to get dirty to win their freedom.

    These women are following in the footsteps of great women of yesteryears that marched against the colonial masters and specifically against their tax policies that resulted in the now-famous Aba Women’s Riot of 1929. Just like other famous women advocates of the past – such as Chief Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti, Hajia Gambo Sawaba, and Chief Margaret Ekpo – these doyens of democracy and gender equality crusaders are pushing hard to get the National Assembly to have a second look at the bills and reconsider their stance. Fortunately, The House of Representatives will be voting again on three gender bills – citizenship, indigeneship and 35% affirmative action in party administration. This step is crucial because it will give the bills a second chance and might upend consideration for change in the status quo.

    The realities of women’s political participation are staggering. Although statistics show that more women vote than men in our general elections, they are dangerously less represented in our government. The Nigerian Senate has only eight female senators out of 109; only 13 female houses of representative’s members out of 360, and 44 out of 991 state legislators are females. There are 15 State houses of assembly out of 36 with no women as legislators and no female governors. These disturbing statistics show a deep-rooted bias against women holding leadership positions, and if we do not take urgent steps now, these numbers will continue to slide from bad to worse.

    Beyond the gender bills, we need to do more to uplift girls and women in our society. A panoply of issues bedevils women’s progress in our society that men and women face but have the most devastating effect on women. These issues include the persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women, the inequalities, inadequacies and unequal access to education and training for women, and unequal access to health care and related services. Women also face violence against them, adverse effects of armed and non-armed conflict on women, especially with the emergence of Boko haram, banditry, and its likes. Prevalent inequality in economic structures and policies in all forms of productive activities and access to resources. Women are victims of inequality in power relations and decision-making, at all levels; insufficient mechanisms, at all levels, to promote the advancement of women; a lack of respect for, and inadequate promotion and protection of, the human rights of women; stereotyping of women amongst others.

    Advocating for higher representation of women in elective and appointive offices is critical. And it may potentially be attained through some form of legislative intervention, as seen in other parts of the world. However, a change in attitude amongst and towards women and massive education of the girl child will help advance the agitation of women to be considered equal within their homes and in Nigerian society.

    Educating our children from an early age about issues and the importance of gender equality, changing our attitude towards the girl child, and massive education of the girl child is viable, necessary steps towards addressing gender inequality. Representation is only one step and cannot be done in isolation of other essential steps.

    The issue of uplifting women in our society is for the benefit of all. Highly productive and engaged women in our society will add to our country’s development and unleash great development strides. Women are our mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters, and they deserve better than the men in Nigeria allow them to get. They need to be freed from the encumbrances of gender discrimination and inequalities, and the government must be leading this significant change in society. It is the task of everyone in our society to change the age-long practices and dogmas that have held women’s emancipation hostage for a long time.

    I will recommend that more sensitisation programmes and advocacy projects be carried out on this issue to get the buy-in of most people in the country. Also, in my experience of passing laws in Nigeria, I understand that lobbying for votes requires articulation, resources, and time to be successful. Our women need to mobilise and pressure the system for their rights per their demographic dominance. Rights are often secured, not handed on a platter. It is a fact that some men will not hand over male privileges simply because of little agitations and niceties from women. More work is required to bring about a complete change in attitude, orientation and actions that are anti-women in our society.

  • Governor Yahaya Bello bags gender equality award

    The National Council of Women Societies, also known by its acronym NCWS, is a Nigerian non-governmental and non-partisan women’s organization composed of a network of independent women organizations in Nigeria binding together to use NCWS’ platform to advocate gender welfare issues to the government and society.

    In collaboration with Global Gold Consult, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has been nominated for the award of ‘THE MOST GENDER SENSITIVE GOVERNOR IN NIGERIA’ and will also be decorated as a ‘HE 4 SHE, of NIGERIA WOMEN, which bestows on him the honour of a Goodwill Ambassador.

    This nomination is in recognition of the purposeful and conscious effort of his Government to place women in sensitive and strategic positions in the governance structure of Kogi State.

    Notable achievements

    It is on record that the Governor is the only one amongst his colleagues with a female Aide de Camp (ADC) in Nigeria. The Secretary to the Government of the State and Head of Civil Service are women. He ensured that all the Vice Chairmen and Council Leaders in each of the 21 Local Government Areas are women. There are a minimum of three women as Councilors in each of the Local Government Areas.

    There are more than 70 women in positions of authority in the State which include but not limited to Director General, Managing Directors, Chairpersons of Board, Commissions and Agencies. Some are Commissioner, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Personal Assistants, and Special Assistants.

    The Government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello has gone far beyond the 35% affirmative action for women and has made Kogi State a pacesetter and a model in gender inclusiveness.

    The award presentation and decoration ceremony is to hold at an interactive dinner for women in leadership from Kogi State on 16th January, 2021 at the Glass House of Kogi State Government House, Lokoja by 6:00pm.