BIOLA AZZEZ writes on the recent decision of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to nominate nine women into his cabinet and possible effect of such appointments on governance in the state.
KWARA State seems to have upped the ante in the implementation of the historic 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, designed to advance the rights of women with the appointment of nine women out of the 15 commissioners in the present political dispensation. The number of women making the cabinet of the governor of the state, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has not only elicited excitement but also been attracting rave review and comments by a broad spectrum of the society.
Besides, many observers have X-rayed the professional background and pedigree, as well as the age bracket of the nominated female commissioners, which might, in the long run, may have put them on their toes in view of the likely huge public expectations when they eventually assume office. The general feeling is that the nine Amazons are expected to bring on board the magic wand and Midas’ touch that recommended them for the cabinet.
The governor, who reportedly shocked the political system, especially his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state with his recent nomination of nine women, said the development was in demonstration of his support for the voice of women, adding that it was also in recognition of their relevance in the society.
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It is recalled that there is no woman representation among the 24 elected lawmakers in the state House of Assembly and the National Assembly seats from all the constituencies in the state. While the womenfolk would readily say the appointments from their fold by Governor Abdulrazaq is a thing of joy and a well-deserved payback for their hard labour in politics in the state over the years, several other people, and surprisingly including some women too, however, have misgivings about the capability of women to function effectively in governance without causing political gridlock on the path of development.
The governor had, last week, released the names of five more women to add to the earlier four female nominees, a development which may make his administration go down in history as Nigeria’s most gender-friendly cabinet.
The latest list, which reflected the state’s demography, showed that Kwara State, with 16 local government areas, has nine women (56.25 per cent) and seven men (43.75 per cent) commissioner-nominees, among who are top bureaucrats, entrepreneurs, educators, professionals and grassroots politicians.
The full list came five months after the governor had apologised and pledged to compensate for women’s loss at the general election in which all the elective positions in the last elections in the state went to men. The list was unveiled at the state House of Assembly by the Speaker, Yakubu Danladi, during the commencement of the screening of the commissioner-nominees.
Among the other four women earlier nominated by the governor is 26-year-old Joana Nnazua Kolo from Edu Local Government Area. Miss Kolo is a 2018 graduate of Library Science from the Kwara State University (KWASU). A grassroots mobiliser, she is an ardent advocate of community development who would be youngest commissioner in the country, if confirmed. Others are Mrs Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu, Arinola Fatimoh Lawal and Aisha Ahman Pategi.
While some people found the nominations amusing, many others saw them as very pleasant as they said “It is government of women now in Kwara State”. While supporters of the state government are quick to commend the it as way to rewarding loyalty and diligence among the womenfolk. Some of those who have misgivings about the idea, particularly, among APC members in the state said those that really worked to put the present government in power has not yet been rewarded.
However, a group of women organisations, More Women Group, comprising of professionals and experts, representing different regions, ethnicities, economic, social and political allegiances as well as organisations for youths and persons with disabilities, applauded Governor Abdulrazaq for nominating nine women to form his 16-member cabinet.
A statement signed by Dr Abiola Akiyode Afolabi and Ms Felicia Onibon on behalf of the 169-amalgam group reads: “This gesture will be recorded in history as the first of its kind in Nigeria. This step by Mr Governor resounds the yearning of well-meaning Nigerians, home and abroad. The appointment demonstrates his support for women voices and it serves as recognition of their relevance in the society.
“We believe that this form of democracy provides the opportunity for open, responsible and accountable system of governance that thrives on the principle that power belongs to the people and that every strata of the society is represented. We have noted with gladness the representation of young people and minority groups within the appointment.”
Also, in a personal letter addressed to the governor, a London-based development advocate and graduate of Economics, Taibat Hussain Aduragba, hailed the governor for making Kwara State the first in practical commitment to inclusion of women in the decision-making process in the country. She described the governor as a jinx-breaker in the history of the North-Central state.
“I have been in Kwara all my life and this is the first time, I can recall, where due respect, fairness and relevance is given to the womenfolk in the administration of our great state of harmony. This chapter has gone a long way to rectify the imbalance generated during the general election where men occupied all elective positions in the state. And not just that: it also fulfilled the demand of advocacy groups that 50 per cent of every state’s political appointments be reserved for women,” she wrote.
Also, the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) hailed Governor Abdulrazaq for considering it worthwhile to pick two classroom teachers as commissioner nominees. The state NUT chairman, Comrade Saliu Toyin, said the highest a teacher had ever attained was for school principal to become permanent secretary.
For Mrs Ayobami Seriki, a political enthusiast in the Ilorin metropolis, inclusion of women in governance would help to fast-track socio-political development of the state. She however advised the female commissioner nominees to use their positions, when inaugurated, to surprise doubting Thomases and the change mindset of other state governments about appointments into their cabinets.
However, many critics of the state government are quick to dismiss the accolades showered on the governor, saying that the nomination of female commissioners is a way to cage the appointed commissioners who, they said, have no experience in governance, being classroom teachers and young people.
The critics said the governor deliberately did not look the way of experienced politicians in the state, adding that choosing from among top APC stalwarts could have posed as herculean task for the governor.
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