National Assembly, (NASS) has had an emergency rethink, not voluntarily but following the tsunami of female gender-driven public opinion complaints against its selfish gender bill decisions.
Congratulations to the tsunami makers. Please keep this synergic momentum explosive as we insist on a political equal gender rights agenda. The battle is many years old. It is not yet won. Success has just begun.
Women have refused to be legislated against. They shouted and the difference was clear. The NASS was speaking for its greedy self and not for maligned constituency members. NASS owes us all an apology. Victory may be in sight but it still not Uhuru but a taste of the long-overdue ‘Gender Justice’ that can be achieved by a collective will.
‘Electoral Education Information’, (EEI) strategies must be put in place now so that the female vote in 2023 will install every qualified woman seeking office even by voting across party lines by favouring the party with the most women candidates. Women massively failed to support women before -a grave political miscalculation and ignorance-driven mistake. It is time to redress the wrongs.
With the terrible naira and security, Nigeria should say ‘NO’ to our stupidly expensive political machinery. Their self-inflicted ‘Salaries and Perks’ are a drain for inadequate return. Most of the NASS N125billion, spent through the budget would have done more than left with NASS membership ‘Salaries and Perks’ -among, or actually the highest world. All citizens must point out to NASS to also stop such humongous NASS emoluments as unjustifiable in a poor country with huge borrowing and fiscal challenges. We must stop ‘Political Palliative Parties’ in favour of parties that will in their manifesto and discussions legislate or get the appropriate organ to cut their NASS emoluments! Abroad where we are supposed to be taking democracy lessons from, the politicians’ work is ‘LEGISLATIVE NOT PALLIATIVE’. Why do we always put anti-people activities into everything we adapt from abroad?
The next battle is to get Nigerian politicians’ Salaries and Perks cut by 75% because they are ‘SAPping’ Nigeria dry.
If NASS members want to buy cars especially in a new parliament come 2023, they must be told now that Nigeria will not accept and they should not expect to burden the Nigerian masses with the bill for a ‘befitting jeep’ of N35-50m x 109 Senators +360Reps =469 NASS members =N16-20b. Let them, like their counterparts worldwide and the rest of us go to the bank to borrow. You will see that their car desire will quickly change like everyone to second hand and maybe even cancel jeep off their list. If they have to use the rail and the metro and the taxis and buses, Nigeria would have been a better place long ago.
NASS has been forced to ‘reconsider’ but will NASS change its mind-set for the better? So when will we visibly follow most of the world and many African countries which allow womanhood to flourish politically and not just as a decoration? The bills are not mutually exclusive but stepping-stones to equality. Though welcome, the morality around funding of any 111 extra seats, rather that the men giving up at least 35% of seats to women costing nothing extra to the citizen for the same gender gain, is selfish on the part of the NASS men. It is also a huge dilemma with Nigeria’s poverty at 75%, naira exchange rate in the gutter and the high price of oil, $139/barrel, precipitating a wartime scenario even on the food situation, with famine threatened, compounded by ‘Lost Generation’ -the loss and displacement of five+ million honest civilians and our gallant soldiers fighting Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa and murderous ‘independent’ terrorist/bandits. The 111 extra seats offer comes like a Greek Gift, a Trojan horse bringing more punishment than salvation. This conclusion is especially based on the local terrorism and poverty and loss of humanity, the unrest in West Africa and world warmongers. This new formula of ‘supernumerary but equal’ exposes NASS’s selfishness. The women are 49-51% of the population and must make their political presence felt.
We can support this struggle. Every woman, qualified morally, seeking election in 2023 should get elected.
The task is unchanged and remains to strategise to ‘MAKE THE FEMALE VOTE COUNT’ in 2023.
First: ‘GET ALL WOMEN TO VOTE’ with campaigns targeting those who will be 18 by 2023 with ‘Girl GO Vote’ songs and T shirts etc. included in Nollywood scripts, Music etc. by entertainment stars aimed at GETTING THE PVC.
Second: GET WOMEN TO VOTE FOR WOMEN’
Third: Get women TO VOTE FOR WOMEN ACROSS PARTY.
Fourth: MAKE ANTI-WOMEN PARTIES AND PERSONS UNCOMFORTABLE by withdrawing female support and directing support towards parties and persons which field women.
Fifth: GET YOUR PARTY TO ABOLISH ‘WOMEN’S WING’ UNLESS THERE IS ‘MEN’S WING’ IN THE PARTY
Women: What cannot be won by legislation can be won by a ‘WOMAN-SLIDE ELECTION’.
‘WOMEN: WHAT CANNOT BE LEGISLATED CAN AND MUST BE ELECTED!!’
This victory can mature into a new NASS with more moderate Salaries and Perks and more humility and humanity. The president could be on Grade Level 21, VP on GL 20, Senators on GL19, Reps on GL 18 etc. or some similar ladder. The struggle continues.
When legislation says ‘NO’,
Election 2023 should say ‘YES’!
We must show NASS
That the voters know Best!!!