As Nigeria prepares for the 2019 general elections, many women groups and organisations have started creating awareness on the need for more women to contest for elective offices. They are advocating more women to emerge as House of Assembly members, senators, governors and even president. Some women who spoke with TAYO GESINDE believed that if given a chance, a woman will perform better as the president.
Hon Yetunde Sogbein of the Ogun State House of Assembly stated that leadership is the ability to inspire leadership in others. Leadership is not confined to the regime of gender inequality. It presupposes that governance should be result-oriented and functional.
It is archaic and a disruptive anachronism to colour leadership with gender stereotypes, rather than performance, effectiveness and human capital development. Thus, the question ‘can a woman perform better as Nigeria’s president?’ Can be answered with an affirmative YES!
It becomes imperative that we critically appraise the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable development goals in order for us to engender a better universe, empowering and equipping the female child and women with the requisite education on gender equality.
ALSO READ: Mauritius passport for sale at $1m
This will enhance rapid growth and social equilibrium. It is the number 5 of the 17 goals and it forms the tripod on which all the goals stand. An instructive quote by the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo goes thus; “those that should come to power are those who have cultivated the regime of their mental magnitude and has, therefore, banished all forms of negative emotions.” It is worthy of note here that the political sage did not refer to any gender but a people with positive conviction and courage to bring about the desired change and economic independence.
In the specialised areas of politics, law, medicine, and technology; women have excelled to the highest cadre. To begin highlighting the achievements of women in these fields with their male counterparts will prove farcical and exhaustive. We have had women as world leaders and still do today; they have proven their stellar competence, dedication, loyalty and commitment to human development without fear or compromise. We have Indira Ghandi (India), Elizabeth Domitien (Central African Republic), Angela Merkel (Germany) Ellen Sirleaf Johnson (Liberia). Inter alia, they lead their Nations competently and still the wheel turns.
Our world today is faced with upheavals and complexities that require the influence of womanhood to resolve. A man once said “a wasted generation can only give birth to dustbin.” When women are relegated to the base of governance and leadership that is what we see! Violence, uprising, upheavals, poverty, amongst various societal malaises.
Women have been home managers for centuries. They are better at management; they know how to save and spend even when money is scarce; they know how to efficiently handle resources, how to allocate them and maintain a balance.
Most women go with the to-do-list approach which makes them perfect at planning things. Most times, men go with cross-the-bridge-when-it-comes approach, which has caused us a great deal in this country. Women as mothers are intuitively considerate and pragmatic.
Research has shown that people working under women are more engaged than those under men. Women are motivators and good at collaborating with people. They exude patience and calm in stormy situations and possess better communication skills. A dedicated, committed and loyal woman can perform much better and efficiently as Nigeria’s president.
Professor Mosunmola Imasogie, Professor of Law, Bowen University posited that a woman can perform better as president of Nigeria if given the opportunity to get there. The main question is can she ever get there? Women have to contend with many stereotypes. There are settled roles for different sexes – every society has different ideas as to what it’s to be a man or a woman. We all saw what happened to Hilary Clinton in the United States.
Even some women believed that men are better suited for politics and won’t vote for fellow women.
Mrs Bibi Bunmi Apampa,a writer and motivational speaker opined that the former United States President Barack Obama recently shared a message heard around the world that “more women need to be put in positions of power because men seem to be having some problems these days.” A woman will definitely perform better as Nigeria’s president for the following reasons; women are natural leaders – educate a man you educate an individual but when you educate a woman you educate a nation. Also, women are trained to take initiative early and have a sixth sense called woman’s intuition. We drive for result, practice self-development and develop others. Not only that, we are more accountable, we inspire and motivate others to high performance and display high level of integrity and honesty more than men. Women are also good relationship builders and champion of change. We communicate powerfully and prolifically on issues that we are passionate about. Finally, women are good problem solvers, with excellent spirit of teamwork.
Honourable Folake Akintayo of Ogun State House of Assembly believed that a woman will perform better than a man because we know where the shoe pinches us and also because we know how to plan and execute things perfectly. Though in our dear country, men are of the opinion that we are supposed to be in the house taking care of them and the children, they tend to forget that we can serve and at the same time take care of our wards.
Professor Ebunoluwa Oduwole, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University submitted that: A female president will likely bring in more women on board and this will lead to a robust combination of ideas in the various arms of government, thus a robust and rich democracy. The above will help to harness the rich ideas of motherhood which will be brought into governance. More women will come on board and the country will experience less of macho activities, power, prestige displayed by men this will in turn lead to peace, security and dignity of life. Women, having experienced poverty and the various disadvantages of poverty will likely ensure that basic amenities of life are provided to ameliorate the sufferings of the common man. Most especially health, water, light and education. Women are good managers of resources, they are caring and loving. All these qualities are what a female president will likely display. Women are more caring. A woman president will transfer her motherly cares to the nation.
Ijeoma Richards, Nollywood actress said I think leadership should be less about gender and more about capability. If we get that clarified, one would be able to say without mincing words that the men have led the country since independence and see where we are.
So, it is either the men are too corrupt to lead or too inept. There is no other way to describe the chaos that is Nigeria today. It is possible that since most women are more organised than men, qualified women will be responsible enough to realise that the strength of a nation lies in strong institutions and start by making those changes. Our weak institutions have benefited the leaders, looking at how rich they all are. The only argument for women will be what I mentioned above plus maybe the fact that men have made a mess of our country and maybe women will be more decorous in handling our resources.
Barrister Nkiru Joy Okpala, National Coordinator, Nigerian Network of Women Exporters of Services (NNWES) and National Coordinator, Association of Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN) asserted that women are transformational in nature. They care about people. They place a huge time on developing human capital, and creating an enduring relationship, as well as a better society. They are compassionate, inspirational, and highly ethical. They are better listeners, and will seek to do more of what can benefit a larger number of the populace.
Also, women have what it takes to get things done. They are better logical thinkers than men. They have the innate ability to think “outside the box.” They possess better problem-solving abilities than men. In essence, they are more effective than men. They reason wider and more broadly than men do. Again, actualising great feats demand synergies. Women are more collaborative, they are inclined towards modern and democratic leadership. However, that notwithstanding, we must admit the fact that Nigeria is a unique nation with its unique challenges. So, I dare say again, that it goes beyond being a woman, it demands a woman of great and strong character.
A woman has an in-depth human feeling which can almost touch the pains of others, as well as withstand the push of patriarchal culture and society. This is so because, for us to succeed as women, we need to work on the stereotypes and wrong perceptions most people of Nigeria have developed against women’s leadership traits, abilities, and the syndrome of where “they belong.” Therefore, we need to garner huge support of the people to enable her work effectively as a woman president. I feel it is high time Nigeria tried out a woman president.
and then