The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Leadership and the value of emotional intelligence

    Leadership and the value of emotional intelligence

    By Nnedinso Ogaziechi

    Leadership means much more than most people assume. In the words of Jim Rohn, “the challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude, to be kind but not weak, be bold, but not a bully, be thoughtful, but not lazy, be humble but not timid, be proud but not arrogant, have humor but without folly”.

    However many of us grew up assuming that leadership is about power and how to wield it. Power is not an end in itself. The value of power is dependent on what whoever wields it does with it. It is neither race nor gender sensitive because humanity has always dealt with power in all continents. However, there is an erroneous assumption that men are more emotionally stable to handle leadership issues than women.

    This flawed rhetoric has gone on for so long without any valid proof that women are less emotionally strong to handle leadership. On the contrary, men have shown through conflicts and the failure of diplomacy in the resolution of domestic, bilateral or multilateral issues that they can be very emotionally immature.

    So one of the false narratives about the subtle exclusion of women in politics can be traced to the socializing that makes men feel that masculinity is synonymous with bottled up emotions. Men are not expected to be expressive of their emotions and that is often bottled up and explodes into rash decisions and ill-digested policy steps in leadership.

    The Roundtable conversation had Obianuju Kanu Ogoko, an expert in  Business Development and International law,  who believes that the idea of the false narrative by men that women are emotionally immature is just one of those road blocks men use to justify the monopoly they enjoy in politics for their own selfish reasons. In the first place, if women and men can be found in jails across the world and in most of the cases, you discover that the reasons for their conviction is traceable to lack of a firm control of their emotions.

    Emotional intelligence and management is not gender sensitive. If we can even pick the more emotionally secure humans, it has to be the women who nurture and groom the men both as babies  and as husbands and partners. If women can deal with the multi-tasking of raising kids of different temperaments and still manage their partners, what other emotional stability do they lack?

    She believes that women are more passionate about order and compliance in leadership and leadership in Africa for instance has been wobbling post colonialism because it seems that men, who have had a better political presence have not totally shown the needed passion and commitment that women display. In the Nigerian context, she believes that the civil war seems to have divided the country in ways that there is a lack of sense of nationhood by the men who have been leaders at all stages.

    Women as home builders seem more attached to their families and are often fixated about the welfare of every member of the family in ways that no matter where she is and what she becomes, building for her dependents is a natural for women. Nationhood is an extension of families and if women are good home managers, how would they make bad or incompetent leaders? While not saying that men do not care, the impact of good or bad leadership tells more on the women and so when most women get the opportunity to lead, their nurturing instincts always kicks in.

    It does seem that in the Nigerian case, men in politics seem to show less empathy and passion for the citizens and that is why at this point of our political and economic lives, there must be an inclusiveness that can see women being integrated into leadership positions by political parties. The women on their own must get involved and not sit and wait to be handed the political space. The excuse of lack of finance is so puerile now that efforts must be intensified to at least achieve the 35% affirmative action as not a final solution but as a step in the right direction.

    Women in leadership positions must begin to be more proactive in fighting for more women to join politics. Politics is a game of numbers and the men would always carry the day when it comes  to the legislative business that the voice vote determines which side wins. Women must begin to join the political parties as a gateway to being active participants in the political life of the nation and equally galvanize other women to boycott and political party that does not show some form of gender equity in either elective of appointive positions. Obianuju believes women must realize the narratives often pushed by men to scare away women and begin to deconstruct the them with facts and figures. Whining about political and economic marginalization cannot change the illiteracy or poverty levels in the country.

    Hajia Fatima (Dongoyaro) Ali Mugono, the first woman to contest for a senatorial seat in Northern Nigeria believes that emotionally, women are more stable than the men and plan better for development at the levels they are hitherto allowed. If any woman is lagging behind, it is as a result of the men around them either as parents, religious clerics  or the community. She learnt a lot from her father, the late Alhaji, Shettima Ali Mungono who raised her to maximize her potential as a human being capable of contrinuting her quota to human flourishing and she is still a proud mother, daughter, muslim and citizen of the world.

    Having been seen as a great organizer, she grew up to actively take her part in the development of women especially in the North where she has mentored many young men and women because, in her view, each human when well-educated and groomed can be a leader. She gives example with herself as a woman who with her opportunity to play leadership roles in the country made sure she blazed some trails that she feels the younger women must take a cue from.

    In terms of physical achievements, she recalls that the International Women Center that the men seem to have appropriated now was built out of the need the women under the leadership of former first lady, Late Maryam Babangida built as a center that women can meet to discuss issues that concern them under the Better Life for rural women programme that she believes has not been matched by women in politics or leadership. The National Hospital that is now a national treasure was also one of the ideas and fruits of their efforts.

    To Hajia Fatima, she just wishes the younger women politicians in any field should continue to exploit the emotional superiority that women show all the time as mothers, daughters and sisters. Emotional intelligence to her is not about physical strength or loudness of the voice but it is about strategies that can make for development of the country through empowerment of women in all sectors especially through education. In her part, she is proud of the leadership that she with women like late Simi Johnson, Emily Aig-Imoukhede, Maria Fatai- Williams, Hilda Adefarasin provided and which she is not seeing with the few women in politics.

    She believes that women must be educated because when you educate a woman, you increase her emotional maturity. The idea of men claiming emotional maturity cannot be true. They are only politically visible because for a long time, they have been the ones providing a leadership that has not included the women. Given her experience in the political field, Hajia believes that the women have to step up and step out even though it is not easy but a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step which she believes women like her in the past had taken.

    The RoundTable believes that the Covis-19 pandemic must force an introspection amongst Nigerians generally. The world has moved on without Nigeria and that is why the country is struggling with poverty. The parochial conclusions about leadership being a male thing has proved not valid given facts and figures. The emphasis must be on merit and commitment and people must forget the flawed grooming and stereotypes that have not ensured progress.

    Women on their own must quit complaining and step out and take their place because, again, power is never surrendered, it is taken and you must be a participant in the field of play to win. Spectators do not win games, players do. Those in the field already must realize that one individual success is not a success. Team success guarantees progress and development. Nigeria has the women with the intellectual and educational capacity to provide leadership. It is time to walk the talk. 35% affirmative action if implemented is good but a Rwanda has 61% of women in parliament. Liberia produced the first female President in Africa after a very debilitating war by the men and the women swore to kick the out and get a woman to repair their country, Eileen Sirleaf Johnson did the healing in Liberia.

    The Liberian men, with poor emotional intelligence caused the war, the women were victims and then when election time came, the Liberian women came together, with emotional maturity took leadership from the men and tried to heal a war-torn country. Nigerian women, can you take a cue?

    • The dialogue continues…
  • Impacting lives of mother, child through social investment

    Impacting lives of mother, child through social investment

    By Mathew Oluwole

    In a country like ours, one could say that being a woman can sometimes be hard. From dealing with systemic gender bias to fighting sexist stereotypes, women sometimes are faced with numerous challenges. While some of these challenges have gotten some much needed mainstream attention over the years, one critical issue that has crept under the radar is the many struggles undergone by women during childbirth.

    Pregnancy and childbirth are life’s most joyful expectations. However, in many instances, these end in tragedy and anguish for families and friends when neonatal mortal ity – maternal or newborn deaths occurring during childbirth or shortly after from related complications – happens.

    Research shows that Nigeria has a current maternal mortality ratio of 576 per 100,000 live births, and a neonatal mortality rate of 37 per 1000 live births. These are staggering numbers worthy of concern as the current realities are dire. Fortunately, data generated from countries with better medical facilities has revealed that these numbers can be improved.

    It is therefore evident that such improvements are often associated with a country’s socio-economic development. Does this therefore mean that third world countries are doomed? Does this mean Nigerian women have to risk their lives consistently? These and more, are questions that plague the minds of expecting mothers across Nigeria.

    As a leading total beverage company, Coca-Cola remains committed to refreshing the lives of people around the world while making a difference in the communities it serves. This commitment transcends providing refreshing beverages across its markets; it is all-encompassing as it also entails investing in the wellbeing of people around the world.

    Over the years, this passion has birthed several initiatives focused on measurable impact; some of these initiatives include 5 by 20 women economic Empowerment, World Without Waste, Replenish Africa Initiative (R.A.I.N), among others. One of such initiatives that have gathered national acclaim is the Safe Birth Initiative (SBI).

    The Safe Birth Initiative (SBI), which aims to support the realisation of the SDG goals on maternal and neonatal mortality, focuses on strengthening the capacity of selected public hospitals through procurement of vital maternal and neonatal medical equipment as well as providing training via renowned biomedical engineering technicians.

    Coca-Cola remains at the fore front of women empowerment consistently supporting initiatives that help achieve this goal. The company’s global 5 by 20 initiative, launched 10 years ago, aims to economically empower five million women by 2020. As at the end of 2019, 4.6million women have been empowered under this initiative, of which over 400,000 are Nigerian women as Coca-Cola is well on its way to achieving this goal by the end of 2020.

    The Safe Birth Initiative therefore ties into the women empowerment vision of the company as a crucial vehicle to help drive change in the country.

    • Oluwole writes from Ibadan.
  • PDP and her myopic view on Osun health sector

    PDP and her myopic view on Osun health sector

    By Gboyega Famodun

    The attention of the APC in the State of Osun has been drawn to a baseless allegation by the Osun main opposition, the PDP, on the government’s utilisation of the Saving-One-Million-Lives Initiative grant of $20million which was hinged on unsubstantiated lies as a face saving mechanism.

    It is highly regrettable that a Senator of Francis Fadahunsi status and standing will expect COVID-19 patients to be managed in primary healthcare centres, so embarrassing, ridiculous and appalling to say the least. While it is trite to state the complementary gains of revamping the health sector under the APC Oyetola-led government; it is also noteworthy to state that the government of Osun State has been able to manage effectively and efficiently the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic very well, our collective efforts both as a people and the government are there in the public domain for people to analyze and judge. We have not failed or disappointed our people since the first positive COVID-19 patient was discovered. We have kept vigils and took stringent measures to ensure the safety of the populace.

    Osun, our state, is among the top five states in Nigeria to have the NCDC standardised bed spaces and isolation centres, alongside a well-equipped COVID-19 ICU centres which is in accordance to WHO recommendations. We must specially commend the fruitful yielding efforts of our medical personnel, especially the frontliners in curbing and arresting the community spread of the virus.

    On this note, it is highly laughable that the PDP in the state would turn blind eyes to the many successes recorded by the Oyetola administration, especially in the health sector, apart from the 256 PHCs completed and already put into use, which is clearly visible and obvious to the entire citizenry, the state specialist hospital in Asubiaro has undergone complete overhaul. The general hospitals in Ejigbo and Ifetedo have been upgraded, completed and awaiting commissioning.

    The PHCs are not only reconstructed, they are upgraded to WHO standard recommendations and are made functional with equipment to serve the Osun people, in line with the goals and objectives of the SOM-L Programme.

    It is on record that 10 other states aside Osun benefited from the health grant with the highest receiving $29million, and Osun is the only one in the news in Nigeria for positive healthcare feedback for prudent and judicious use of the money as we have distinguished ourselves as Omoluabi, with several awards and commendations as a pointer to the unparalleled achievements in revitalizing 332 PHCs.

    The results of the PHC assessment team – Under One Roof Scorecard recently rated Osun, Sokoto and Adamawa as the best in performance in Nigeria. This is no mean yardstick; it is monumental and worth celebrating. The available records from private and government agencies are equally appealing to the hearts as our maternal and infant mortality rate have drastically reduced, communicable and non – communicable diseases chart is moving towards the safe zone, as the grassroots and rural dwellers are patronizing the revitalized PHCs in their various communities.

    This is the positive milestone of the government which has made the PDP uncomfortable. We are committed to progressive governance in all sectors of Osun which will culminate in the total rejection of PDP as a party in all future elections in Osun.

    • Famodun is State Chairman of APC in Osun State.
  • NDDC: A peculiar mess

    NDDC: A peculiar mess

    By Emmanuel Oladesu

    Oil, the black gold, is a major source of revenue for the Federal Government. Paradoxically, the politics of oil spells doom for the endowed, but deprived Niger Delta region. Oil has become a liability and major source of poverty for the producing areas.

    When will the Niger Delta enjoy its full proceeds? When will the vast coastal region and indeed, Nigeria, get out of the corruption drama?

    Oil, since its discovery, has been the main politico-economic issue, often exploited and mismanaged. Should it remain a sort of blessing to all Nigerians and at the same time a monumental curse to the goose that lays the golden egg?

    To cater for the special infrastructural needs of the neglected, marginalised, brutalised, and pauperised region, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was created. Its impact has not been felt beyond the empowerment of the coastal elite. Also, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was created as an intervention agency. Its performance has been doubtful. It has continued to only intervene in the lives of local barons who are always eager to sustain the tradition of exploitation to the peril of the poor Niger Deltans. This makes the NDDC a disaster.

    The region is devastated by its own antics. The self-oppression is ironic and worrisome. The ministry and agency are exclusively managed by Federal Government appointees of Niger Delta origin. Who therefore, is to blame for the plight of the riverine areas?

    Reminiscent of the controversial Oil Minerals Producing Development Commission (OMPADEC), NDDC has become a racket and a huge joke; a fraudulent parastatal parading vague accomplishments. The more money that is allocated to the commission for regional development, the poorer the region, no thanks to the culture of theft and graft and the officials’ penchant for “steal and go.”

    The leaders of the South- South have been very vociferous in their clamour for the ownership of the resources. But, if there is resource control by the oil-producing states today, would they not follow the path of the interventionist agency that now symbolises sleaze?

    After many years of protests and demand for investigation into the activities of the well-funded, yet unproductive and financially reckless NDDC, President Muhammadu Buhari recently agreed to beam the searchlight on its activities. Curiously, the account of the agency has not been audited in the last 15 years.

    But, what will be the outcome of the National Assembly/Akpabio/ NDDC drama? Will the so-called forensic probe achieve the desired result? Are the hunter and the hunted not the same of the same?

    Nigerians were taken aback by the disclosures by the NDDC handlers at the on-going probe. Despite the Buhari administration’s avowed commitment to the anti-corruption battle and the prosecution of culprits by anti-graft agencies,  many top functionaries are undeterred. It is worse that these privileged and dubious officials also rationalise their corrupt behaviours and openly defend the looting of the treasury.

    Read Also: NDDC Probe: ‘Why Ojougboh can’t be trusted’

    The NDDC requires a complete overhauling. It is retarded by some acts of commission or omission on the part of the Federal Government. Many of its officials have taken turns to loot the agency, owing to the flawed appointments. The temporary appointment may have often disposed them to embezzlement. The refrain appears to be: “make haste and grab what you can in NDDC.”

    In violation of the NDDC act, a sole administrator was appointed for the agency. The acting managing director said she failed, based on the weight of pressure from the supervising Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio. Mrs. Joy Nunieh raised very serious allegations which should have made the minister to resign in saner climes. She was later booted out for alleged lack of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.

    Then, another illegality was erected on the flawed process. An interim management chaired by Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondel was set up by the president instead of a substantive board. The interim management also soiled its hand in graft, allocating a large chunk of the money to the staff to cushion what it described as the effects of Covid. Only in NDDC can billions be set aside for Christmas and Covid palliatives. But for who in particular? As agency officials were sharing money, the generality of the people meant to be served by the commission were abandoned in starvation.

    The former sole administrator denied the existence of any forensic probe. She alleged that Akpabio frustrated her through sexual harassment and other directives that bothered on fraud. The ebullient and forked tongue minister denied the allegations. But, his disclosure on how N4.2 billion was spent in a day by NDDC is confounding. On what?  On imaginary projects.

    The only hope therefore, was the National Assembly probe. But, the investigation only got messier. The NDDC Executive Director of Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojoughoh, was on the prowl. He cried foul, saying that the agency had become a lottery. Then,  another bombshell. Senators and House of Representatives members, Ojoughoh said, meddled in contracts awards and execution. The agency had become a scam, the rot staring the bewildered nation in the face.

    The minister reinforced Ojugboh’s claim. He said the chairmen of the National Assembly Committees on NDDC were beneficiaries of scandalous contracts. In fact, Prof. Pondei walked out on the chairman, Olubunmi Ojo, who later recused himself from the public sitting.

    The minister lent credence to the claim of the NDDC helmsmen. Akpabio, who was a senator until last year, merely validated the subsisting allegations of parliamentary padding. The House Committee acting chairman did not like the response that committee members may have soiled their hands. He asked the minister to stop the dirty linen in the public. To Nigerians, the move paled into face saving tactics.

    From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. But, when the heat was turned on Akpabio by legislators, he recanted. It was not a visceral denial, by hypocritical rebuttal.

    The NDDC MD later became a laughing stock. His strategy instantly produced a result that boxed the panel into confusion. Unable to properly defend his interim board over corruption allegations, Pondel fainted. It was the end of the probe. The defence mechanism paid off. Attention momentarily shifted from public scrutiny to personal illness. House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said the professor will not reappear before the committee, advising the federal legislators to rely on the documents he submitted to draw conclusions.

    The Senate Ad Hoc Committee was furious. It called on the president to dissolve the NDDC interim board. It is long overdue. Besides, the Senate recommended that those who made the agency funds to develop wings should be brought to book in the spirit of the anti-corruption war. It is a core advice the president cannot afford to ignore in the interest of Niger Delta.

    Are the labours of Adaka Boro, Ken Saro Wiwa and Obong Victor Attah in the Niger Delta not in vain today? They endured the pains of struggle, fought for derivation and demanded special economic assistance for the far flung zone. The fruits of their labour are ending in private pockets. The unscrupulous elements who now torment the region through mindless looting are sons and daughters of the Niger Delta and few opportunistic collaborators from other zones.

    As they persist in their nefarious activities, the masses of Niger Delta continue to wallow in penury. They continue to suffer from pollution, environmental denigration, ecological problems, infrastructural deficits and permanent psychological pains.

    It is an interesting time in the Niger Delta. As the controversy rages, prominent indigenes; elder statesmen, rights activists and leaders of militant groups are keeping mum. It is a new dimension to the drama.

    Who will salvage the injured region?

  • Taxing Nigerians to death?

    Taxing Nigerians to death?

    By Abiodun Komolafe

    Except we are being economical with the truth, the last is yet to be heard of COVID-19, the pandemic that has continued to severely fracture the global community.

    With exponential spikes, which have forced “an increase in restrictions” in the United States of America and “racial disparities worsening the toll of the lockdown for people of colour, especially, women” in the United Kingdom, experts are now appealing for global “focus” on the virus rather than “games people are playing.”

    It is therefore hardly surprising that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Programme (FAO) are again warning that Nigeria and 24 other countries might soon face a COVID-19-triggered “devastating levels of hunger and food shortages”, if urgent “life-saving assistance” is not sought for no fewer than 270 million people before December.

    According to WFP-FAO, “up to 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes over the next six months as a result of pandemic-related disruptions to essential health and nutrition services.” This is the second alarm in 3 months!

    Well, while it is interesting to note that Nigeria is gradually waking up to the sad reality of the deadly disease virus that has pushed our humanity to a difficult world, Bade Onimode will be turning in his grave, seeing what has become of the Nigerian economy.

    The renowned economist was once quoted as saying that “the Nigerian economy cannot collapse because Nigeria has no economy.”

    Sad that, 19 years after the erudite professor bided the world ‘the final goodbye’, the statement remains valid. Why did I say so? A few words of explanation will suffice.

    In times of difficult challenges, pandemics and natural tragedies, governments and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in saner climes strive to make an ameliorative difference in the lives of their citizens; and this is the standard expectation of the citizenry.

    But the situation is always different in Nigeria. After the ship of COVID-19 has successfully berthed in the shores of Nigeria, threatening the country with daily increase in the discovery of fresh cases and rising death tolls; triggering anxiety and economic uncertainties; and with possible ‘hunger pandemic’ in the horizon, just then, the Federal Government slammed Nigerians with its economic genius mantra of tax increase.

    Ordinarily, with close to 40,000 infections and a steady rise in death toll, one would have expected appropriate relief interventions from the government to ameliorate the pains of the pandemic; and I am not referring to 1 or 2 cups of rice and a loaf of bread distributed to the people as palliatives.

    Unfortunately, in the midst of the pandemic, job losses, contract failures, economic stagnation, and frightening inflation, the national government chose to review, upward, the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5% to 7.5%.

    The fuel price and the DStv razzmatazz has also become a disgraceful episode while stamp duty collections are reportedly being extended to the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), print of WhatsApp receipts, etc.

    Which means, very soon, Nigerians will be required to pay stamp duty on the oxygen being breathed. But for the National Assembly’s quick intervention, Nigerians would have since early July added a new electricity tariff regime to their gift of woes from their government.

    Juxtapose the high cost of transportation with the sharp rise in prices of foodstuffs at a time like this and one is bound to have a better grasp of our predicament.

    Somebody once said that it is insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Truth is: the economy of Nigeria is artificial.

    Of course, when something is artificial, all that surrounds it will also be artificial. Needless to repeat that Nigeria is on a free slope, slipping towards a bottomless pit and only pretenders can deny it.

    In all forms of structures and policies, there is nothing that comes near as a pragmatic remedy! There’s no sure-footed policy, more so as all our policies are based either on sentimental considerations, political rigmaroles, or ethnic manipulations; nothing is based on truth and nothing is addressing pressing national issues truthfully!

    For instance, had Nigerian government been addressing unemployment, its policies in that direction should have been able to yield results in few months or few years.

    Had Nigeria been sincere in addressing agriculture, ‘Operation Feed the Nation’ (OFN) should have freed this country from hunger a long time ago, taking into consideration all the money pumped into it. Aren’t we also surprised why Nomadic farming has not taken Nigeria to the Promised Land?

    All things considered, a man who will fix Nigeria’s economy will have to domesticate all, and any of the economic theories to be applied in Nigeria.

    He has to begin from his house. That’s the only way through which he can truly feel the pulse of Nigerians and learn from what is going on in the country!

    That’s the guy who will do it! And, this must be backed up by cultural policies as well as force of law as Nigerians have overtime cultivated a culture that no longer respects the law of the land.

    They have imbibed a culture that shies away from paying tax! But, again, this is where the problem lies! Of what essence is paying tax to a government that has no corresponding input in one’s life?

    Looking back, has the government ever asked the governed about their retirement plans or where they will put their heads after serving their fatherland meritoriously?

    Has there ever been a Commission established to look into the feasibility and patterns of life chances of people of all ages in the country?

    Here, governments churn out policies without any feeling or input for the common man. Terrorists and bandits are on rampage on our roads and highways; and Nigerians are losing their jobs on a daily basis, even pushed into ungodliness.

    People dig boreholes in their homes to get water. They buy generator sets to provide electrical power. They employ the services of day and night guards to prevent robbery attacks.

    Still, robbers come and go away with what they want! Still, there’s a government somewhere, claiming to be responsible for the welfare of the people!

    Yet, government remains faceless. So, what are we saying? What is left of government’s responsibility to the citizens? Now that the train has come off the rails, where lies the humanity in our government?

    • To be continued
  • Edo 2020: The vindication of Ize Iyamu (2)

    Edo 2020: The vindication of Ize Iyamu (2)

    By Igboeli Arinze

    While campaigning in 2016, under the shadows of the Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomole, Governor Obaseki had promised in his campaign manifesto to create 200,000 jobs for the teeming youth population in Edo State , as we speak that has not been achieved nor is there any attempt to get it done before the expiration of his first term.

    Compared with his predecessor, one would notice a marked difference as Oshiomole latched on to the “Beveridgean” principle of full employment as a central policy of his administration.

    What about insecurity? The state which witnessed tremendous improvement under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomole is surely witnessing a vicious convulsion owing to a recrudescence of violent crimes such as armed robbery and kidnappings, causing residents to pathetically resort to self protection or a couple of other measures that rather embolden these criminals.

    Also the resort to political violence which was a thing of the past under Comrade Oshiomole, was to also return and rear its head.

    Real and imaginary political opponents of the governor became victims of raw state power, their homes and houses were burned, while others were arrested and charged with all sort of spurious allegations.

    I recall traveling to Benin to cover a rally for Comrade Oshiomole while he was Chairman of the All Progressives Congress , APC and a colleague who knew about the trip called to find out if I was in Benin, when I replied in the affirmative he immediately became panicky and said that he had just read in the news that thugs had attacked the venue of the rally in Auchi in an attempt to stop the rally from holding, my friend then pleaded with me to if possible return back to my home state, not one to shirk from my engagements I assured him of my safety and doused his fears, I still attended the rally which was held under tight security simply because one man wants to run Edo in similar manner to Mussolini’s fascist state.

    It is thus simple to state that the attention and energy the Edo State government had through its proxies sought to make the state uninhabitable for his perceived opponents would have at least helped the state surpass Oshimole’s achievements in terms of security.

    Read Also: ‘With Ize-Iyamu Edo will be in safe hands’

    I schooled in the University of Benin, and I know how the quality of infrastructure was before and after the Oshiomole administration.

    I cannot quickly forget the awe I felt while witnessing the infrastructure miracles of the Comrade Governor, who seemed in a hurry to transform Edo State into a cosmopolitan centre.

    Sadly, the reverse is the case in this era, the infrastructural revolution which saw the implementation of successful urban renewal programs within the state’s three Senatorial districts, this is because Governor Obaseki spurned a common sense consolidation of Oshiomole’s legacies, the end result has been bad roads and the return of floods because he also rejected the Benin City Waterstorm project initiated by his predecessor.

    Where is the Azure power plant, the modular refinery, the Sobe Farms project, the Industrial park in Iyanomo and a number of other projects that would have helped keep the state on the path of progressivism.

    I can go on and on, but time and space will definitely not permit me, yet all these facts point to the conclusion that Edo State people will obviously be in a position to rid their state of such lackluster and shambolic an administration and vote in a person that will carry on the development programs of Comrade Oshiomole.

    But then like a gaggle of quibbling old celibates those criticizing Ize Iyamu based on his position as Chief of Staff and Secretary of State Government in the Lucky Igbinedion administration are the same ones who are quick to tone down the pandering of ‘Holy Obaseki’ to the same Igbinedion.

    In search of friends, Obaseki did turn to the one with the Lord Lugard moustache, so if Ize Iyamu serving in the Igbinedion administration is tantamount to making him a devil what then shall we call Obaseki?

    They croak in unison, yet in a doddering manner that Ize Iyamu is this and that, chanting the hollow tales sold to gift Obaseki the office in 2016.

    Is it not funny then that the same tales are been rehashed by same people who sought to befriend the Ize Iyamu when they started their quarrel with Oshiomole?

    The allegations against Ize Iyamu did not have the pithy properties that they seek to give it now, it was obvious then as it is now that it was all politics and it still is!

    The vindication of Ize Iyamu is in the knowledge that the Edo people are worried that rather than campaign on his achievements which are non existent , Governor Obaseki is rather chasing shadows using the 2016 stories and other below the belt means to demonize Ize Iyamu.

    The vindication is in the scenario where an Obaseki who has failed to live up to a single campaign promise, will definitely not have any new form of canards to sell to the people.

    As the September 19 elections draw nigh, the people of Edo State will surely elect a man like Ize Iyamu as Governor , that and the implementation of his ‘Simple Agenda’ for a shared prosperity in Edo will then be his final vindication!

    I rest my case.

  • Women and the political imperatives of validated voices

    Women and the political imperatives of validated voices

    With Nnedinso Ogaziechi

     

     

    It’s been a hundred years since women got the rights to vote and be voted for in democracies across the globe. However, even though there has been some progress in women’s political participation, it is not yet uhuru especially in developing nations like Nigeria.

    The socio-religious patriarchal system still stand in the way of progress in ways that see leadership as a male entitlement.

    However, the history of the legendary Amazons of Dahomey, the metaphor for female grit and bravery has been replicated in the pre-colonial Africa in the various legends of leadership in history, queens Idia, Moremi, Amina and other powerful women that took the bull of leadership by the horn. They excelled in both economic development and territorial security and expansions.

    What was however remarkable with those legendary women was their courage and intuition and vision. They did not beg for leadership, they did not cry for 35% affirmative action, they went out, stuck together, worked with both men and women and achieved the socio-political and economic goals to the benefit of their communities and regions.

    They literally took no prisoners. They met the men brawn for brawn and bravery for bravery. They realized early enough that power is taken and not given.

    However, they worked with fellow women and men too but their trust on the ability of their ilk to succeed in leadership could only happen with a unified sense of purpose.

    The Roundtable conversation this week included Hajia Fatima (Dongonyaro) Ali Mungono, a formost Northern politician and industrialist, an advocate for representative democracy and one of the Northern women that had been a pillar in the fight for women emancipation from religious, economic, social and political exclusions.

    She was a delegate to the 1995 Beijing Conference that adopted the 35% affirmative action for women. She was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and fought seriously for the scrapping of ‘Women Wings’ in political parties because according to her, it had a certain subdued sense of exclusion and beggarliness to refer to women in the political party structure as ‘Wing’ when there was no men ‘Wing’.

    She was a member of the Nigeria delegation to the 1985 Women Conference in Kenya that birthed the Better Life for Rural Women programme that was initiated during the Babangida administration by his late Mariyam Babangida, a programme that saw wives of governors then influencing their husbands to include projects that could cater better for the rural women who often do not have a voice.

    As a female politician she believes that only women can work seriously for the general good of the nation and should not be intimidated into silence by the men who often surreptitiously pit the women against each other and claim that  women are each other’s’ worst enemies.

    She believes that women must endeavor to join political parties from inception and not continue waiting to be handed positions after the men have appropriated the most influential positions.

    As the first woman in the UNCP board of Trustees, she was in a better position to influence the party constitutions at formation to include policies that would cater for women issues and concerns.

    To her, women must take their seats at the table from the beginning and not wait to be handed positions by the men. It was from that position that she was able to remove ‘women wings’ and the women came to be on the same pedestal with the men.

    According to her, “Women are nowings, they must be part of the whole political body”.

    At the Constitutional Confab in 2014, Hajia Fatima still maintained that women have rights that must be protected through the resolutions at the conference.

    Being one of the women who pushed for the establishment of the Ministry of Women affairs in Nigeria, she wants women to maximize the use of the ministry by making sure it is used for the advancement of the causes of women.

    She traces back the formation of the Better Life For Rural Women Programme as a programme that was targeted at the welfare of the rural women which had a huge impact on the nation.

    Ironically Hajia believes that the programme seems to have been better handled productively during the military era than in the civilian democracies.

    She believes that should not be the case if the women are really concerned about the welfare of fellow women. As a former Vice president to the then National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) former President, Mrs. Emily Aig-Imokhuede, they tried to establish offices in all the states of the federation especially in the North so that the impact of the association would get to all the nooks and crannies of the country for the welfare of women.

    She believes women can only progress by helping each other and using their voice for good. She identified the challenges women face politically in all the regions of Nigeria impacting their full participation in politics.

    In the South East, the exploitation of the some parochial socio-cultural norms by the men especially the Ezes and Igwes who insist that women must not perform certain leadership roles stand out but the things seem to be changing a bit.

    In the North, both socio-religious and economic problems affect the women from active participation. The South West environment seems to be the most liberal of the regions for women participation in politics.

    However, a common denominator seems to be financial dependence but she believes women can come together and find a solution.

    Professor Kate Omenugha, the Commissioner for Education in Anambra state has a PhD in Gender, Media and Cultural Studies and is concerned that women often shortchange themselves in aspiring for leadership positions politically.

    The way some women raise their sons grooms them for the sense of entitlement to leadership. In the first place, women have to work more than ten times harder to be acknowledged.

    However, she believes women must stand up for themselves politically by getting more active and taking their positions of authority with the only tool they have going for them, their integrity, diligence and commitment.

    In a patriarchal society where the girl child is often groomed just to appeal to the husband and the boy given all the leverage to leadership, for things to change, women must own their spaces both socially and politically through keeping their eyes on the ball.

    She recalls that as a child, she aspired to read law but was discouraged by a School principal father who felt then that she might not be able to get a suitor because men might be scared of her independence and assertive nature of lawyers. “I wish he is alive to see that I now have a louder voice without reading law” she said.

    She has seen women raise their sons differently from their girls and this she even observed as a lecturer who with a predominance of females in her classes, always saw them seek out and select the boys no matter how incompetent as class Reps.

    This wrong socializing has in her view affected the hunger for political participation by the women. According to her, men are always given what she calls “The Speaking Rights” and the voice of the women muted by forces thrown up by both genders.

    Politics is about raising voices and being heard and as such parents especially mothers should begin to let the girl child speak up and out.

    That is a good beginning. Women should begin to show up at political environments early enough. You notice the tokenism in politics where men monopolize all posts and may be just throw in one or two women. The ratio is not good for development she insists.

    However, Prof. Omenugha points out another challenge for women. She believes that the few women in politics have not been good mentors as most of them revel in their ascension to the ‘class’ of male political elite and often have that vacuous arrogance of ‘belonging’ to the power bloc while neglecting to mentor younger ladies to step into their shoes.

    She believes women politicians must lift other women up the political ladder instead of what is obtainable these days where they have this false sense of having ‘made it to the ‘male political kingdom’.

    To Prof. Omenugha, voice is very important and a very vital tool for political participation. The girl-child must be given the validation to know that she can speak her mind, express her desires and achieve her set goals.

    With that, she grows up squaring up with the men and gets her due in terms of leadership. Women must not always be led, they have the cerebral and intellectual capacity to lead either in elective or appointive positions.

    Women to her must realize also that their integrity speaks for them anytime and refuse to be intimidated by male and female blackmail that always allege that any successful woman in any field slept her way up.

    “Why is it that men are never accused of sleeping their way up”? All those are coercive tactics to get women to stay under the radar perpetually.

    The women must re-strategize and realize that in politics, it’s a team work and must work with both men and women to succeed.

    Female politicians must come down from their high horses and realize that a single broomstick cannot sweep clean, only a bunch can and so they must be less arrogant about their successes and mentor and groom other women too while working in unity with the men because development helps all genders.

     

    The Roundtable dialogue continues…

  • Step aside

    Step aside

     

     

    NIGERIANS covet titles. In the political sphere, prefixes like ‘excellencies’, ‘distinguished’ and ‘honourable’ are very common and valued by politicians.

    However, in most instances, the character or actions of some politicians often contradict the titles that precede their names.

    We have seen physical fights at the National Assembly involving those often addressed as ‘honourables’, a term that implies ‘bringing or deserving of honour’.

    However, we believe that even though some alleged actions of leaders might not align with their tags, at this point of our national development it is not too late for the society to correct itself, not necessarily in a judgmental way but as a process of leaders living true to the titles and offices they occupy.

    It will add to the growth of our democracy for the system to be such that certain processes are seen as given as obtained in other climes. Granted humans are not infallible, but when such acts of infallibility are alleged to have happened, those in question must take certain steps that would reassure the people that the office remains respected.

    The allegation by the former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Acting Managing Director, Gbene Joi Nunieh, against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, former governor and Minority Leader at the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, over the mismanagement of some billions of Naira, is worrisome.

    The two chambers of the National Assembly have since May been probing this allegation, based on several petitions over the alleged squandering of about N40 billion within three months.

    The former acting MD, while testifying before the committees of the National Assembly made a series of allegations against the minister: “Akpabio wrote me to put a list of projects from the Refugee Commission in the budget of NDDC…”, she said adding that the minister engineered her removal for failing to obey his illegal orders.

    However, since the allegation, the country has been awash with other allegations and counter-allegations, including that of sexual harassment by Nunieh against the minister, and his rebuttal through his media aide, with claims of defamation and libel.

    While public office anywhere in the world has its code of conduct, we are not in a position to condemn or vindicate any of the parties in the cases being probed.

    We must however state that public offices in the country must be respected by those elected or appointed to serve.

    If the National Assembly received a series of petitions from various stakeholders in the Niger Delta region against the activities of either the ex-NDDC MD or the Minister of the Niger Delta, we assume that the logical and democratic action must be for the minister to step aside while the allegations against him are thoroughly investigated.

    When the investigations are concluded, the appropriate government institutions can issue him a clean bill of health and he can return to his office without suffering any losses.

    On Thursday, Joi Nunieh was allegedly rescued from some policemen who stormed her home to arrest her without any warrant of arrest, thereby scuttling her planned trip to the National Assembly for further hearing on the allegation.

    She was reportedly rescued by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Nwike. We believe that this melodrama could have been avoided if the minister had stepped aside while investigations would either indict or vindicate him.

    While we do not doubt the sexual assault allegation and the slapping of the minister by the former acting MD, salacious as they are, we feel throwing that in at this time might distract from the issues at stake.

    Nunieh has the right to cry out over such an improper conduct if it indeed happened, but the steam might just be removed from the facts of her case for improper timing. She could separate the issues and still get the justice she and the people deserve.

    On his own part, the minister must respect the ‘Honourable Minister’ title by not descending to the arena of media brickbats with his former subordinate.

    He allegedly said he was heading to court to claim damages for libel and defamation. This, clearly is his right if he felt the allegations have ridiculed him in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.

    Yet, we feel he seems to be putting the cart before the horse. Let him first answer to the allegations against him, one after the other; he can then take his case(s) to court to seek redress.

    His claim of committing to the president to unearth the alleged looting to us seems neither here nor there. The government has competent agencies to take up that challenge and he can only facilitate their job for the country’s good.

    It is very paradoxical that two people from the Niger Delta region that have been in global focus over the poverty and environmental degradation due to oil exploration could not work harmoniously for the good of the people.

    The Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs have had different individuals from the region in the leadership positions for decades.

    However, it does seem that the country has been pouring the proverbial water into a basket, given the fact that the funds allocated to those agencies and ministry seem like a spoon of salt dropped in the ocean.

    In the matter between the minister and the former NDDC boss, transparency and accountability must be key.

  • Deconstructing Ayade’s strides in Cross River

    Deconstructing Ayade’s strides in Cross River

    By Daniel Anago

     

    FOR Prof. Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River State, times like this calls for serious commitment from leaders. Indeed like a true leader, he has tried as best he can to live by the ideals and ideas of good governance across all strata.

    When he took over the reins of leadership some few years ago, Ayade did made promises. Unlike a typical politician who has no scruples about reneging on his promises, Ayade has been shorn of such tendencies.

    His motivations, described as purely altruistic, Governor Ayade is daily making, not just Cross River State but also Nigeria and indeed Africa a better place to live in.

    He has embarked on an industrial revolution in the state; building factories with overall value addition instincts, especially cocoa!

    However, one thing that is significant in the cocoa revolution in Cross River is that the big picture is not lost on Ayade.

    He understands that for agriculture to replace oil, it must be organised in a manner that processing can bring out the real value of farming and spark off a chain of economic activities that will create millions of good jobs and generate billions of dollars in revenue to investors, employees and government.

    For instance, if agriculture currently employs, say, 10 million Nigerians, agro-processing industry can employ thrice as much in the value chain. So we must spend much time discussing not only farming but also agro industrial development too?

    A standard cocoa-processing factory producing chocolate can employ thousands of staff compared to any farm just farming cocoa for export.

    The factory will also employ or engage the services of engineers, technicians, accountants, drivers, administrators and lawyers. This is Ayade’s drift!

    Cross-River currently has the largest chicken processing plant. A multibillion-naira chicken processing plant in Calabar has been completed and has the capacity to process 24,000 chickens a day.

    President Muhammadu Buhari will soon be launching a scheme where 1,000 youths will receive N1million naira each and plots of land for smallholder poultries that will feed the chicken factory.

    But beyond the shores of his state, Ayade is also expanding his sphere of influence with projects that will touch the lives of many Nigerians. He has made the Bakassi deep seaport project a matter of serious

    Already, Governor Ayade’s administration is working closely with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to maintain its place in the scheme of things in that sector.

    At an event in Calabar, the Cross River capital, Managing Director of Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), Adam Shaffer led a high powered delegation to sign a memorandum of understanding on the Feed the Future Project between the state government and USAID.

    Shaffer said at the event that at the event that the state topped the list of 36 states of the federation seeking to key into the Feed the Future programme.

    He emphasised that Cross River was first considered because it has distinguished itself in the areas of international best practice, transparency and the willingness to align with the vision of USAID.

    Thankfully, these initiatives have literally turned the economic tide for the state to more ways than one. Expectedly, some of the best practices Governor Ayade has brought to bear include, setting up Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centres, bolstering cooperatives and rice production clusters and encouraging private sector participation.

    Already, several rice milling centres and “food banks” have been established in all local governments across

    Speaking with journalists recently, he recalled that his state government procured the equipment from John Deere of the United States, the biggest company in the world for land clearing and land preparation for agriculture.

    He noted that with the partnership Cross River has with Tata, the local partner, “we have made order and taken delivery of a large number of tractors, bulldozers, pay loaders, excavators, the list is endless,” he said.

    Already, a tour and assessment of Agro farm facilities at all major rice farm clusters have been concluded. The sites visited were proposed locations for Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centres.

    The governor expressed the hope that the programme, when fully functional, would create jobs for over 2,000 young persons who would have at least 5,000 hectares of farmland for rice.

    Interestingly, the state government got 30,000 metric tonnes of fertilizers to rural farmers to up the ante, while he has continued with his administration’s policy of buying 100 tractors every year, a good number of which have been evenly allocated for the purpose of rice production in the state.

    Under Ayade, the state government has also tapped into the Prosper Africa programme initiated by the American government with the funding of about USD60 billion set aside to bring prosperity to Africa and reduce poverty and using Cross River as a mediator is already growing in leaps and bounds translating into good news for Cross River and indeed Nigeria.

    As has been noted, for Governor Ayade, his hands is on the plough as he has assured that he won’t rest on his oars until Cross River State takes her pride of place as a leader in the sub-region worthy of emulation.

    • Anago, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos
  • Women as ‘women leaders’ in political parties

    Women as ‘women leaders’ in political parties

    Roundtable with Nnedinso Ogaziechi

    There is a profound contradiction in the Nigerian political space. The political party hierarchies are male dominated. Most party National Working committees have either one or two women in the executive. More often than not, their roles are limited to ‘Women Leader’ a euphemistic way of limiting their leadership to their voting bloc. Women of course have the highest number of active and loyal voters. They are the ones that exercise the patience to go through the often grueling electoral processes from ward primaries to general elections.

    So it is a thing of interest to The Roundtable conversation to begin to examine the political or religious cultures that ‘tolerate’ Women Leaders’ but feel the other posts ought to be the exclusive for the male politicians.  Are there some biological or physiological disabilities that make women just ‘good’ women leaders who work for the men? Are Ministers and Commissioners for Women Affairs and some token appointive positions just areas the women can contribute to National development?

    Our conversation with the man late ace sports commentator, Ernest Okonkwo described as Mathematical Odegbami due to his dexterity on the football pitch during his days in the national team, a sports manager, broadcaster, TV producer, columnist, former governorship candidate in Ogun state and everything in between, Chief Segun Odegbami was very insightful. Nothing expressed his belief in the intellectual and managerial ability of women than his choice to work  with  some women in sports.

    The first Nigerian female to win an Olympic gold in long jump, Chioma Ajunwa and another silver medalist, Charity Opara were both chosen by an Odegbami to mentor because he had always had the conviction that women have the intellectual capacity and dedication to achieve results in any field if given the opportunity. To Odegbami, women are focused, they often mean business, they are the hands that rock the cradle and as such, he believes they must be given equal opportunity to maximize their potentials. His convictions paid off with the Olympic stars he mentored.

    Read Also: Political ideology, the military and women in Nigerian politics

    Having had a first-hand experience in the Nigerian political space, he feels the nation continually shoots itself in the foot by largely excluding  women at both elective and appointive positions. Having seen the brilliance and patriotism of the few women that were given an opportunity in Nigerian politics, he believes more women ought to be given the opportunity to first get an education and be allowed through a better electoral process to express themselves politically for the good of the whole country and the women equally willing to fight it out with the men who might never willingly give up power.

    He believes that the Nigerian women are serious, their work and moral ethics all add up to excellence. We can take an example of Europe where women are excelling. Looking at Nigeria, we seem to be so uncoordinated across the states in the management of Covid-19. Generally the ratio of male and female performance in governance shows that women excel in positions of leadership and that is not implying that they are all angels while all men are devils, no, it simply means that given that the women wear the shoes and know where it pinches economically and socially, they are often in a more focused mindset to be positively productive.

    Most women that are alleged to be corrupt are products of the male influence because materialism is not gender sensitive but on a general note, women are more self-conscious because they have to work extra hard. Women do better when given the opportunity.

    As one who has been on the political field as a governorship candidate, you notice the commitment and general focus and hunger for good leadership by the rural women. They want genuine progress and you notice their frustration because they are victims of a dysfunctional system. They suffer all the frustrations and the men still breath down on them as you often see some husbands insisting their political choices must be followed by their wives or else they would be in trouble at home.

    When we talk about votes not counting, the women are helpless because it is often a male battle with violence and money that women might not have. So they invariably lose out but they have good knowledge about Nigerian politics. In their local environments, they want the best because they know what can ease their socio-economic pains but they seem clobbered by male dominance which must change for the better.

    Hajia Maryam Waziri, the People Democratic Party Women Leader and the sole female member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party believes that it is still a long road to political freedom for Nigerian women socially, economically, religiously and politically especially in the North. However, she seems unable to align the attitude of her late father, Alhaji Umar Nasarawa Wazirin Gwandu an educationist who became a member of the House of Representatives in Lagos between 1954-1964 and who equally held some other political offices in the Northern region and what is happening today especially in the North.

    Hajia recounts that her political inspiration came from such an illustrious father who was known to encourage women educational empowerment. He was known to go physically from house to house to take young wives and register them in Teachers Training Colleges during school terms and take them back to their husbands during the holidays. To him, religion or culture should not be a reason not to empower women because an empowered woman is a treasure to the community and the nation. Her father did that because he felt education is power and the husbands of those women respected his views.

    Hajia says it is then surprising that a state that had a man of her father’s status can show such apathy  to women seeking political offices. The idea of some using religion to discourage women from aspiring to political offices to her is an ill-wind that blows no one any good. Saying that a woman should not lead is very unfair. A Queen Amina is a legend today.

    However, the women know what they need and as such women are in some better position to work for fellow women. With a father that was so serious about girl child education to the extent of going to men who marry off girls from secondary schools to tell them to divorce and take them back to school, it just showed, given his status in the emirate that discouraging women from leadership is not about religion but may be ego.

    Having worked her way from the ward to the state and national levels, Hajia Maryam believes that to minimize the poverty level in the North, women must be empowered through education and given equal political space for those interested. To her, being the only woman in the NWC is not good enough and she feels that women all over the country must be allowed access to political positions beyond |Women Affairs Ministries in state and women leaders in parties.

    As the women leader, she is pushing that out of the nineteen members, at least six positions, in the spirit of 35% affirmative action must go to women so that they can begin to be integrated into the core governance levels instead of the tokenism that exists now. To Hajia, elective and appointive positions cannot be left to the men alone and she would use her tenure to make sure that women across party lines hold the men to equity in the political space.

    She believes that men must realize that women hold the key to development because they raise children and the children are the leaders of tomorrow. She equally believes that men must work together to get the fellow men to see the value in empowering women and that the women are not interested in competing with the men but just so the nation can move on and poverty can be reduced. She believes the educated elite must be willing to educate and re-orientate the illiterates that are clerics who twist their teachings to discourage developing the women through education and allowing them participate in politics.

    The fact that most women are illiterates especially in the North means there would not be enough female doctors, nurses, engineers and even recruitment to the civil and military services would continue to exclude Northern women and that in the long run would be to the detriment of the region that is battling poverty and underdevelopment. On the other hand, she believes women cannot let the situation discourage them, there must be a way to push and let the men understand that we are all working for development.

    Working with the grassroots has shown that women have a voice and the men suppress them to the detriment of the society. One can see the impact of the community development efforts by the few women in politics for the rural women who seem powerless but thrive with support for entrepreneurship. Most of the empowered still contribute to the families in the ways that assist the men too.

    The Roundtable would continue peeling the covers that have been masking the real reasons gender parity seems an unachievable goal in Nigerian politics. The productivity level of the country is tied to the education and health of the citizens and other development variables. Development can never be solely achieved by one gender because the world has since realized the value each human brings to development.

    The idea of ceding ‘Woman Leader’ to the women has taken a different interpretation. Do we have ‘Men Leaders’ in the same political parties? It only shows that the men in politics almost always want to reduce the women to the leadership of themselves in ways that serve the interest of the men but not valuable to the society. Where does ego start and end in development? It is more than a hundred years since women began to vote, today women are leading in many countries and the world is better for it.

    Would Nigerian politicians stand up to make the processes representative of all as democracy allows or must we continue in our less progressive ways? The dialogue continues…