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Tag: First Ladies

  • First Ladies to lead global peace talks at UN forum

    First Ladies to lead global peace talks at UN forum

    With a focus on women’s leadership in advancing global peace and sustainable development, First Ladies from across the globe will converge on New York in the coming weeks for a high-level forum marking the United Nations International Day of Peace. 

    The event themed “First Ladies Becoming Actions for Peace: Ambition for Women as Key Players in Promoting Sustainable Development,” is being convened by the Senior Adviser, Permanent Observer Mission of the Pan African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation to the United Nations, Prof. Ada Juni Menakaya, in partnership with the Africana Women Working Group at the UN and other NGOs. 

    Slated for September 22, at the UN Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission Auditorium in New York, the initiative is part of the Better Together UN80 programmes, designed to highlight the United Nations’ 80th anniversary by reinforcing peace efforts and strengthening partnerships across nations.

    Sharing details about the event, Prof Menakaya said the gathering would move beyond dialogue to practical action. 

    “Women, especially First Ladies of Nations, have a significant role to play. This initiative is about moving from words to action that secures peace, justice, and equality for generations to come,” she said.

    According to her, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Pan African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and

    Sanitation to the UN, Dr. Nabhit Kapur; Secretary General of Common Wealth, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze, African Union Southern Africa Regional Office Malawi, are expected to play key roles at the event. 

    The UN has set this year’s Peace Day theme as “Act Now for a Peaceful World,” urging nations and individuals to take concrete steps to tackle inequality, address conflict, and promote solidarity. 

    Read Also: First Lady’s RHI empowers 500 women in Zamfara

    The First Ladies’ forum will align with this vision and explore strategies to strengthen women’s participation in peacebuilding under the framework of SDG16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

    Organisers say discussions will focus on the Gender Priority Strategy (GEPS Action Model), designed to close gender gaps and enhance women’s leadership in promoting peace and sustainable development. 

    Key areas include reviewing progress on SDG 16, addressing challenges in advancing gender equality, and reinforcing Generation Equality commitments.

    The event is expected to produce a roadmap positioning First Ladies as pillars of peace and sustainability, working with governments, international organisations, and local communities to build a culture of peace.

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently underscored the urgency of peace efforts. 

    “Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty, and hunger, and driving tens of millions from their homes. Climate chaos is all around. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization,” he said.

    By the end of the New York forum, organisers hope to set a strong global agenda that empowers First Ladies to lead initiatives in their countries and inspire citizens to act for a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.

  • Of wives and First Ladies

    On Thursday, wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, announced that she should henceforth be addressed as First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Apparently, her original ‘Wife of the President’ title was causing confusion in certain quarters. Clearly, some clarification was called for.

    “When my husband was newly elected, I personally chose to be called the wife of the President,” she said.

    “But, I realised that it causes confusion from the state as to whether the wives of state governors are to be addressed as the first ladies or wives of the governors.

    “So, forgive me for confusing you from the beginning, but now I choose to be called the First Lady.”

    This is an interesting U-turn and I find her explanation less than convincing. If anything it still leaves some confusion in the air. Now that she is First Lady, does that automatically mean that governors wives can deign to pronounce themselves ‘First Ladies’ in their own lesser domains?

    The statement was revealing as she makes it clear it was her choice to be simply referred to as ‘Wife of the President’ in the beginning. I was under the impression that the change of nomenclature was a decree by President Buhari – conscious of the fact the constitution doesn’t recognise or make provision for the office of First Lady.

    Obasanjo equally tried to prevent his late wife, Stella, from assuming the title – telling interviewers in the early days of his administration that she would simply be his wife. He didn’t know what he was talking about. In a matter of months madam steamrolled him and had a full-blown First Lady circus going.

    I suspect that the decision to adopt the ‘Wife of the President’ title initially was an attempt to avoid some of the negative publicity which the excesses of recent occupants of the position attracted to their husbands. Add to that the fact that Buhari’s handlers had projected an image of someone averse to much of the pomp and circumstance that accompanies his high office.

    But the Presidency and First Lady positions are borrowed concepts. In the United States there is a proper Office of the First Lady which is supported by official staff in the White House. She has a retinue of staff – including Chief of Staff, Press Secretary and Social Secretary, but doesn’t earn a salary.

    Aside being hostess in the presidential residence, such spouses can be a force for good on many fronts – leveraging their privileged position by the president’s side. I think where the problem arises is when they overreach and forget that whereas their husbands were elected, they are not.

    So if Aisha Buhari now prefers to be called First Lady good luck to her. What is important is that she recognises the boundary lines so that she remains an asset to her husband and not a liability like some became in the recent past.

  • Aisha Buhari, Governors’ wives meet in Aso Rock

    Aisha Buhari, Governors’ wives meet in Aso Rock

    The wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha on Monday met with wives of state governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting, which was held at the First Lady Conference Hall, was to evolve ways the State Governors First Ladies could serve the interest of their people better.

    Noting that the constitution does not explicitly provide a role for First Ladies, Aisha told the First Ladies that it did not stop them from making a difference in the lives of the people.

    According to her, the Governors’ Wives Forum was an avenue for them to support their husbands towards delivering on the change agenda.

    She said: “As wives of political office holders, we must continue to do our best in contributing to the success.

    “I believe in our little ways, we can assist them to bring succour to the populace, especially those in need such as victims of insurgency in the North East and other forms of violence, physically challenged and other vulnerable groups.

    “It is on this note I felt it is important for us to come together to strengthen our unity and extend our solidarity to each other under a common platform.

    “There, we need to develop strong leadership structures in the two regions not only in one as the case with the already known Northern Governors Wives Forum of the country.” She added

    Aisha also called for the restructuring of the two regional halves of the forum to boost networking, cooperation and constructive partnership.

    She urged the First Ladies to be prepared to deal with programmes that are capable of impacting positively on the lives of citizens particularly the less privileged members of the society.

    She listed some of the challenges facing the poor to include widowhood rites, female inheritance rights, female genital mutilation, early marriages, violence against women and children, high maternal mortality and women economic empowerment.

    She also urged the wives of the state governors to mobilize support for government policies and programmes.

  • Changing faces of first ladies

    SIR: Nigeria will never cease to be a puzzle. Among tempestuous and impunity-prone African countries, Nigeria stands out. Take for instance the concept of First Lady. Born in the United States, nurtured in Western Europe, adopted wholesale by African countries, it became fetish and worshiped in Nigeria. It is a phenomenon that defies any rationalization especially as it is practiced in Nigeria.

    The Nigeria institution of First Lady did not come into prominence until the manipulative and repressive rule of Badamasi Babangida. Prior to IBB’s unstable and unreliable regime, the First Ladyship was heard more in whispers than in outward show of pageantry and power. This is understandable because almost all rulers before IBB were modest, even self-effacing in some cases.

    As a military dictator, IBB brought his wife, a very elegant and slightly shy woman into the limelight. She appeared in the public space, performing those functions probably not selected by her, but directed by her power consuming husband. On the whole she left the legacy of a beautiful, well-behaved spouse of the nation’s President.

    We have since had a succession of Presidents, Military Heads of State and in one case a usurper known as Interim President. Throughout this intervening period, Nigerians were not assailed with any self asserting spouse of our national leaders. We did not even know who Mrs. Shehu Shagari was! Then came Olusegun Obasanjo whose lovely spouse and modest woman passed on mid-day. During her short life, Stella Obasanjo adorned her position as wife of the President. Naturally as President Obasanjo is well known, the First Lady could not have crossed the line not only because the husband is autocratic and assertive, but because by orientation, education and mentoring, the First Lady knew her bounds.

    Then came the very private but effective Mrs. Turai Yar’Adua. The woman as a First Lady will best be remembered for her protective capability, her ability to ward off any intrusion into her husband’s ‘private life’ but which many people would call public life. Leading a band that was mischievously called the Cabal at Aso Rock, she gave protection to her beloved husband until the latter breathed his last.

    Then came Dr. Goodluck Jonathan with his record-breaking spouse. She summoned and addressed conferences domestic, regional and continental. At one time her activities overshadowed those of Nigeria’s Foreign Minister who many did not know anyway. Robust in manners, carriage and exposition, she enlivened the environment like the moon at its peak.

    Did we as a country benefit from her escapades? Yes, we did. First, the world knew that we had a knowledgeable, educated First Lady in Nigeria. These attributes stood us in good stead in the international community. Secondly, she was able to relieve our own President Jonathan of the burden of running a problematic and cynical country of many nationalities. On this, some people would uncharitably aver that she indeed complicated things for her husband. Thirdly and perhaps most significantly, Dame was able to achieve for Nigerian women fold a level of participation in both elective and selective posts hitherto unknown in the annals of Nigeria’s political history. Nigeria women will forever remain grateful to Mrs. Jonathan.

    Our newest First Lady, Mrs. Buhari, well educated, somewhat shy but prominent at public events is a new dimension completely in the history of our First Ladyship. A professional with high career prospect, she’s not likely to go beyond the line dictated by her husband. No embarrassment in language or presumed power is likely to occur during her tenure, not as First Lady but as Mrs. Buhari, a term which she prefers.

    The import of the preceding analysis is that it is high time we operate the constitution properly. This involves all political operatives from the village Councillor to the tenant at the Villa. We should stop creating our own little heaven when we occupy government position. For example, it is ridiculous to call the wife of council chairman, chairperson and create an office for her. We should operate only fully and in totality within the constitutional framework in Nigeria. Our politicians should avoid personalizing political office which is transient. The visibility of Presidential spouse may be counterproductive to the image of the President and also the nation.

     

    • Deji Fasuan, MON, JP,

    Senior Citizen

    Ekiti State.  

  • Nine first ladies for awards

    Nine first ladies for awards

    Less than one month to the expiration of their husband’s tenure, nine first ladies have been shortlisted for the Most Valuable Governors’ Wives Awards (MVGWA) in Abuja on May 19.

    Former First Lady of Nigeria and the Chief Justice of Niger State, Justice Fati Abubakar, is expected to deliver the keynote address at the award ceremony.

    The Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Muhammad, will be the guest speaker.

    A statement for the organisers by Tom Obulu said MVGWA is designed to lead a new phenomenon in the assessment and recognition of the governors’ wives, who are providing complementary achievements to the governors’ achievements.

    Obulu said 36 governors’ wives and the FCT Minister’s wife were assessed based on their NGO projects available in the public domain and impacts on the people.

    The criteria adopted were sustainability, empowerment, impact, change agent and corporate branding (SEICC), he added.

    The awardees include Hajiya Hauwa Yuguda, wife of Bauchi State governor; Deaconess Mrs. Roli Uduaghan, wife of Delta State governor; (Dr) Aisha Bala Mohammed, wife of the FCT Minister and Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha, wife of Imo State governor.

    Others are: Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, wife of Kwara State governor;  Hajiya Jummai Aliyu, wife of  Niger State governor; Mrs. Olukemi Mimiko, wife of Ondo State governor and Hajiya Asma’u Yari, wife of Zamfara State governor.

  • Rage over First Ladies’ house

    Rage over First Ladies’ house

    Joe Agbro Jr. in this report captures the rage that has trailed plans to build a N4 billion Africa First Ladies’ Peace Mission headquarters in Abuja

     

    plans to build a N4 billion Africa First Ladies’ Peace Mission headquarters in Abuja is the subject of a raging controversy allegedly rooted in an age- long political battle.

    Already, many rights groups have wondered if the scheme would not constitute profligacy on the part of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), in its reaction to the proposed scheme, said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Emma Eneukwu, that the move to build the Africa First Ladies Peace Mission House with public funds is illegal.

    ‘ANPP believes that the matter is a non-issue as the budget for the complex is inherently illegal and should not waste the time of the distinguished senators in their work.

    ‘The fact on ground is that the Federal Government has already declared that the African First Ladies, Peace Mission is a non-governmental organisation and could not be funded with the taxpayers’ money.

    The N4bn proposal was contained in the FCT’s N253bn budget for the 2013 fiscal year currently before the National Assembly.

    The ANPP statement further said, “our party finds it puzzling, absurd and incongruous that another project of the AFLPM could now be smuggled into the budget of the FCT, an undeniable burden to the already burdened citizens of our great nation.”

    The party wondered why the FCTA decided to fund the AFLPM building project to the detriment of Nigerians in need of different people-oriented projects. It also charged the members of the Senate to reject the budget provision.

    On its part, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) described it as ‘outrageous imprudence.’

    The CPC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, declared that the budget in itself was a demonstration of the present administration’s profligacy.

    ‘It is appalling to see budgetary allocation as much as N4bn for the office of the First Lady that is not recognised by the nation’s constitution,’ CPC said, adding: “At a time when many Nigerians have been rendered homeless by the anti-people stance of the PDP-led FCT administration, it is ludicrous to imagine that, rather than embarking on projects in alleviating the afflictions, this clueless regime has again shown its undisguised self-centredness.”

    Also speaking on the issue, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Mallam Awual Musa-Rafsanjani, said, ‘the allocation was an insult to Nigerian taxpayers.’

    However, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has come out to defend the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) N4bn funding of the Africa’s First Ladies, Peace Mission building.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, condemned CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for criticising the N4 billion for the First Ladies, Mission, explaining that the building was not for Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    As Metuh argues, the complex, on completion, is to host the AFLPM which has the backing of the African Union as an instrument for championing women and youth development.

    “The Peace Mission House is a public institution, a building in the likes of the Women Development Centre (WDC), Nigerian Cultural Centre, among others, which the law empowers the FCTA to build and operate in provision of facilities for the advancement of its development efforts.

    Defending its position, a statement from the office of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister reiterated PDP’s arguments and absolved the office of the Nigerian First Lady from the alleged profligacy.

    ‘As part of its efficiency measure,’ the statement said, ‘the FCT Administration saw in the proposed headquarters of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission building an opportunity to save cost by using the AFLPM building to serve multiple roles in providing office accommodation as well as housing not just African First Ladies’ Peace Mission but other international bodies as well.’

    It added, ‘the FCT administration has statutory duty to build for the good of the public edifices such as the Women Centre, National Hospital for Women and Children (now National Hospital) and the current Nigeria Cultural Centre and Millennium Tower that is being built at the cost of 62 billion naira by the FCT Administration.’

    Most Nigerians are yet to be convinced. Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, simply said, ‘It’s just a proposal. The National Assembly has not passed it, and I am sure the senate has already handled it (the proposal) well. It’s not going to pass through. And if it passes through, it is going to be challenged because it is illegal.’

    Political watchers and insiders at the corridor of power in Abuja, who responded on the condition of anonymity however told The Nation that the controversy is further fuelled by the political power between Dame Patience Jonathan and the former First Lady, Alhaja Turai Umaru Yar’Adua over the land. Some of them alleged that Turai and her supporters have not let go and are behind criticism.

    It would be recalled also that in July 2012, the African First Ladies Summit was enmeshed in a controversy following reports that the federal government bought 200 new super cars for the summit. Then, the AFLPM had refuted government’s involvement.

    As the controversy rages, Patience Jonathan and Turai Umaru Yar’Adua are carefully keeping mute over the matter.