KWENU! Our culture, our future

Women wanted!

M. O. Ené 
New Jersey, USA

egbedaa@aol.com

Friday, February 7, 2003

This piece is dedicated to a savvy sister

Who in her new political party held sway,

Until machismo multiplied mucho disaster

And from the posh pedestal swept her away.

When it comes to Nigerian cybermedia, women are missing in action. And it is not that there are no women writers. Everyone is a writer; sincerely speaking, you just have to take a pen to a plain paper. I have encouraged two sisters to do just that: One posted twice and dropped off; the other never posted her excellent works, though she kept promising. The very few ladies who post once in a while get my attention, even when I am in a scanning-and-skimming mode. Women writers are wanted, but this is not about women writers; it is about women stepping out and participating in the process ‘come 2003’ -- which is coming to become, apology to legendary Dr. K. O. Mbadiwe.

One of my articles that attracted some strong venom was “One more for women” of March 2002, which was later published in ThisDay. I remember one particular paragraph so perturbed a now ex-cyberfan he accused me of being “settled.” Read:

The elevation of Mrs. Adelaja to full cabinet position is something worth celebrating by millions of women seeking to shatter the glass ceiling of Nigeria's political paradise. Inasmuch as some would have preferred an "Alhaja Aisha Abdullahi" to balance the north-south dichotomy, it should not take checkbook journalism to encourage the participation and or applaud the successes of our womenfolk in national affairs. Adelaja now has the space and the time to salvage her beat-up image at the not-too-sensitive solid minerals ministry. She should have little or no problems sailing across. Not many heard of Kanu Agabi since he vacated the justice ministry for 'Bola Ige. But 'Dupe Adelaja owes it to womenfolk not to coil up like a snail in 2002 winter and wait for 2003 summer to come. She should step out and step on it, follow the footsteps of Kema Chikwe and open that door wider for younger ladies looking up to her.

Unfortunately, even though I took some heat for appearing to praise a woman who had insulted Ndiigbo so recklessly with her unguarded “buying and selling” jibe at ex-Biafran military officers, Mrs. Modupe Adelaja, nee Adesanya, did exactly what I had warned her against: hibernate in the coziness of her ministerdom. As the wind of change threatened Aso Rock last year, you would think Dr. (Mrs.) Kema Chikwe was the only female minister. I bet Mrs. Adelaja will tell us in May what her accomplishments would have been if not for “lack of funds.” But the March 2002 piece was not about Adelaja; this too is not about her -- both are about women in politics.

For many years I have been very supportive of women who step out to try their hands on the reins of power. In my New Jersey community, Ms. Esther Chinyere Ohen stepped out as the first woman, and the only one to date, to serve on the board of World Igbo Congress. She was also its assistant general secretary up to 1997. Then she wanted the presidency of Igbo-USA, then umbrella organization of Ndiigbo in New Jersey. Opposition was fierce. She prevailed. Other women followed in affiliate organizations, but they didn’t go too far. The glass ceiling reappeared, and they settled for vice-presidents and treasurers and such “safe” offices.

I am rooted in a culture that does not encourage association of men and women in formal groups. In my neck of the Igbo woods, there is “umunna” (the agnate), an exclusive sons-of-the-soil, democratic body chaired by the eldest man (“onyeishi” or “okenye”). The “umuada” (daughters of the agnate) is a powerhouse, but its exclusively female members deal mainly with women married into the agnate setup; they interfere in “umunna” meetings with permission and only when the men don’t get some salient issue right, or when they must push an addendum to an agendum geared toward the welfare of the clan. I am therefore not molded to support the inclusion of women in an arena as vile and as violent as Nigerian politics. But I find myself supporting the idea that more women are needed to run and to occupy political offices.

Women can move mountains. The Aba Women proved it in 1929. Dr. (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili, director general of NAFDAC, is being toasted as the best official in government. She has restored the faith of Nigerians in all pharmaceutical products. Many women can also screw up things, as many men do; but, if we are lucky, one might emerge to make a whole lot of difference as Queen Amina Zazzau, Madam Tinubu, Chief (Mrs.) Margaret Ekpo, Mrs. Oyibo Odinammadu, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Alhaja Gambo Sawaba, Dora Akunyili, Kema Chikwe, etc. I am not saying that women make the best leaders but, in a country where many men are simply no good, I think an injection of more women into Nigerian politics could help to lower the level of violence. Then again, the coming of more women could open up silly scandals and petty politics -- which no one wants. But we would never know until we try. Even then, so what!

Our women are coming. We cannot stop the train, Sharia or no Sharia. We can no longer keep them in the kitchens or behind the scene. So far, they have reached the deputy-governor platforms as was the case in Cross River State during the aborted Third Republic, where Mrs. Cecilia Ekpenyong was made deputy to Governor Clement Ebiri, as well as in Lagos State where Mrs. Sinatu Ojikutu was named as Governor Michael Otedola's deputy. Chief (Mrs.) Oluremi Adikwu, now Adikwu-Bakare, earned the reputation of being the Amazon of Lagos politics; she battled Otedola almost to a standstill in the race for the defunct National Republican Convention's ticket. She came close to picking it up, but insiders believed that "she lost out at the critical stages of the election"… probably because of her then husband’s ethnicity (Igbo). It was probably more likely because of her gender because, now that she has become Remi Bakare, she was still edged out in the ruling PDP primaries by AD decampee Funsho Williams.

Of the 4o-something ministerial positions, President Obasanjo has appointed five women [about 10%]. He made women affairs a full ministry with Hajia Aishat Ismail in charge, and he appointed Chief Mrs. Titilayo Ajanaku as Special Adviser on Women Affairs. Others include Dr. (Mrs.) Kema Chikwe, nee Ejiogu (Aviation, formerly Transport); Ms. Boma Bromillow-Jack (Culture and Tourism); Mrs. Paullen Tallen, (Technology - state); Dr. (Mrs.) Amina Ndalolo (Health - state); the indomitable Dr. (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili (NAFDAC); Dr. (Mrs.) Dere Awosika, nee Okotie-Eboh (National Program on Immunization); and Dr. (Mrs.) Esther Uduehi, Presidential Liaison Officer -- House of Representatives (HOR), who with Titi Ajanaku make up 15% of the senior advisers to the President.

Of the 14 senior special assistants to the President, two are women [14%]: Dr. (Mrs.) Catherine Obianuju Acholonu (Arts and Culture); and Chief (Mrs.) Edith Chinyere Asika, nee Ejiogu and wife of Ajie Onicha Ukpabi Asika (NEPAD). In the much-criticized long list of specials assistants, we have a lake of ladies taking up a whopping 44% of the list: Mrs. Chidi Onyemelukwe, nee Ekwueme, (Small and Medium-Scale Industries); the Iya Yeye of Ibadan, Chief (Mrs.) Olajumoke Abimbola Akinjide-Balogun, nee Akinjide, (FCT Matters); Chief (Mrs.) J.O. Ayo (Economy, COS); Dr. Joyce Wigwe, (G77); Miss Bose Ogunmuyiwa (National Orientation & Public Enlightenment); Appolonia Okigbo (Budget Monitoring & Price Intelligence); and Princess Gloria Iweka (Presidential Matters, COS).

The President’s efforts still fall short of United Nations’ Beijing Declaration, which stipulates a 30-percent affirmative action. Other arms of governance are far worse offenders. There are three female senators out of 109 [2.75%]; 12 members of House of Representative (HOR) out of 359 [3.3%]; two chairpersons of local government out of 774 [0.25%], one speaker of state house of assembly (Benue) out of 36 [2.77%] – and who has since resigned; one deputy governor (Lagos) out of 36 [2.77%] -- also gone; no governor out of 36 [0%]. Many states have just one token female commissioner out of an average of 14 [7%]. Ogun State, the president’s home turf, has no woman commissioner and no ministry of women affairs.

Unfortunately, the few women up there are losing ground. If Obasanjo is not returned, the three full female ministers, two ministers of state, directors, senior special assistants, and special assistants presently serving would be out of the Rock. I doubt that any of the present presidential pretenders, excluding Mrs. Sarah Jibril, would go out of their way to pick female appointees from political wilderness. What about a President Muhammadu Buhari? Perish the thought: Aso Rock would probably be more “ba shiga” to women than Zamfara State House… unless the latest curious crusade or jaded jihad for “our teeming Christian supporters” yields fresher fruits. It is therefore a matter of concern to me that many of the few female politicians are schemed or rigged out, while others are simple scared away.

Last year was a bad year for top female officials. I was so concerned with what was unfolding I encouraged Minister of Aviation Kema Chikwe to turn her back on Nigerian Airways (NAL), focus a bit more on her immediate constituencies for a change, and let the hovering venture vultures have their way. I couldn’t have spoken too soon: Many managers soon after threw in the towel; workers and pensioners were ready for war; pissed-off passengers were already at war; and plans for the Hajj operations were going to precipitate another Isioma Daniels. Take NAL out of the equation and Mrs. Chikwe would emerge on May 29, 2003 with her head held high. Down the line, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Honorable Madam Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele became the second woman elected public officer in the Fourth Republic forced to quit office under controversial circumstances; the first was Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly, Mrs. Margaret Icheen.

There were other setbacks of a violent nature: An AD woman leader in Ekiti State, Mrs. Emily Omope-Aborisade (aka Mama Thatcher), was given an acid-bath by hired political thugs. Her crime: She supported the reelection of Otunba Niyi Adebayo as governor. Late last December, Mrs. Ibie Magdalene Asuen-Omoruyi, sister of a family friend and an ANPP aspirant for the Edo State House from Ikpoba-Okha legislative unit, was chased to her home by hired assassins and beaten black and blue. (See ThisDay of 12/16/03.) Thank God, she survived. HOR aspirant Ms. Nkoyo Toyo was making her way to the primaries when thugs hired by an opponent reportedly vandalized her car and stole 450,000 naira. By the time she arrived, “results” had been announced!

The setback continues. Of the three female senators, not one made it past the primaries. Senator Florence Ita-Giwa (Mama Bakassi), ex-wife of late Newswatch co-founder, Mr. Dele Giwa, was set to win, since she switched from ANPP to the ruling PDP; instead, she quit for no good reason made public. Senator Stella Omu, former Senate Chief Whip and wife of retired General Paul Omu, fell to the tripartite archaic agreement of the Ijaw, Isoko, and Itsekiri (Delta). It was Itsekiri turn, they said. Stella is Isoko. Chief Joseph Adolor Okotie-Eboh, the rising scion of the former Federal Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh, was set to step in via maternal Itsekiri lineage. Almost from popular nowhere, a certain Mr. James Manager, Commissioner for Works in Governor James Ibori government, took the position. Senator Omu fought back; Adolo followed. In fresh primaries conducted by Chairman of PDP electoral panel for Delta, Professor Charles Ofoegbu, Manager polled 1,164 to emerge as PDP’s flag bearer, leaving behind Okotie-Eboh (584) and Omu (475).

In Delta North, Dr. Esther Uduehi was “declared defeated” before the primary elections took place! Fresh polls were organized. Dr. Uduehi gave a good chase (1027-1077), denying Senator Patrick Osakwe outright victory. Professor Ofoegbu announced a run-off between the two. Hope rising! Our New Jersey’s Ijenwa Okunonke (PDP) was out of fray in her Ika (Delta) HOR constituency even before the battle began. Up north, Senator Khariat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe (FCT) was beaten by Isa Maneh. Also defeated at the primaries was Mrs. Florence Aya, who lost her Kauru federal constituency seat at the House to the Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mr. Gideon Gwani.

Finally on setbacks, at least one female politician brought her private life into public office. Forget the stories of Mrs. Josephine Anenih, national women leader of PDP and wife of de facto leader of PDP; that too was a setback of sorts. We are talking of an elected official. Mrs. Adetoun Adediran Dosunmu [Surulere I constituency], Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, became pregnant. Good news, but it was allegedly not her husband’s. While still married, Madam Deputy Speaker fell for “a gentleman whom I love so much and who loves me dearly in return.” Now she wants a divorce alleging adultery and desertion by Mr. Dosunmu! The story has run and sold like a cheap soap opera in a trashy tabloid, and it continues with her delivery of the baby in faraway US of A. There was even talk of impeachment! Question: Would anyone notice if a married male politician cohabits with another woman or even two and each is carrying twins? I think not. Now spare a thought for an unthinkable “Honorable Mrs. Dosunmu” in Zamfara or Sokoto State…. Stoning sosai!

All is not lost. In Bauchi State, Mrs. Rahila Malumbus, a former PDP aspirant from Boguro LGA for Boguro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa federal constituency, emerged as the first female gubernatorial candidate under the Progressive Action Congress (PAC). She will challenge Governor Ahmadu Adamu Muazu, for the Ramat House. Of course, Mrs. Sarah Jibril is flying the presidential flag of PAC as the only female presidential aspirant so far, out of possible 30. In Ebonyi State, Congresswoman Patience Ogbodo (PDP) scaled the hurdles of second-term bid, becoming only one of the four of the original 12 that have not been muzzled or muscled out by macho men. In many states, many women rose to participate more actively in the 2003 election from councillorship to gubernatorial races; many fell -- or were felled -- by the wayside.

In Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s Ogun State, where women made little political gains in four years, Titi Ajanaku roared unsuccessfully to take a shot at Government House for PDP. In Osun State, Mrs. Erelu Olusola Obada, a female lawyer and political activist mobilized efforts to occupy Governor Bisi Akande’s seat. She did her political arithmetic and figured out “that women population [is] more and the women have resolved with the support of men that [it’s] time we try a woman this time around as governor.” Good idea, but arithmetic is straight science; politics is pseudo-science.

In Edo State, Mrs. Daisy Ehanire-Danjuma, wife of the Defense Minister, retired Lt. Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, is set to replace Senator Roland Owie (now ANPP gubernatorial candidate) in Edo South. She is set to sail, but fellow senatorial aspirant Col. Paul Ogbebor (rtd), has since switched over to ANPP, and he has cornered the party’s senatorial ticket, edging out the likes of such long-suffering ANPP veterans as Alhaji Mohammed Ighile. The retired colonel from Edo has vowed to stop the impositions of the wife of the retired general from Adamawa State, citing high level politics that was brought to bear in the nomination exercise. In fact, another aspirant and former chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa, had protested “against the manipulation, influence peddling, double-faced dealing and personal insultive behaviour that [have] continued to pervade the whole exercise.” He was referring to the rumor that Danjuma browbeat the governor’s father into ensuring that his wife Daisy sailed through.

Mrs. Danjuma, a lawyer, would not be cowed: Hear her:

"He [T. Y. Danjuma] did not summon the Esama [of Benin, Chief Gabriel Osawani Igbinedion, father of Edo Governor Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion]. It is true a meeting was held in our house. It is a meeting of the Obasanjo fundraising committee, of which my husband is the chairman and the Esama, a member. I do not think there is anything wrong in a friend talking to a friend.”

She continued:

“Of all the four aspirants in the race, I am the only graduate among them. They are just jealous. He (Idahosa) is not on ground. All he does is on television. I just take them as brothers and so I do not want to speak on all of them. I am not going to Abuja to make money but to render service to my people.”

Good, but Ogbebor is turning every block and piling on the heat from the streets. Good news for women comes also from Lagos, where PDS’s Mrs. Modupe Sasore, will battle for Lagos West Senatorial district. However, if we read Mrs. Adiukwu-Bakare’s political prophecy correctly (See http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/politics/p103022003.html), AD is set to clean house in Lagos. That is, this sister may not go too far. The same fate awaits Mrs. Teju Abiola (wife of late MKO), who is running with NCP’s governorship candidate for Lagos State Mr. Lateef Abass.

In Imo State and Igboland in general, Kema Chikwe has become the big political madam. She was set to go for the Imo State house. Nothing happened. It is now obvious that her support of Governor Achike Udenwa, after a long-running battle that inched to the deadly zone, is more a trickle-down effect of Chief Tony Anenih’s no-vacancy doctrine. The “gentleman’s agreement” with PDP incumbent governors, as revealed by Anambra Governor C. C. Mbadinuju, stipulated a quid pro quo with the president: he delivered them; they delivered him. That, to me, is “monkey politics”: You scratch my back, I scratch your back. Alas, for reasons beyond the scope of this piece, it just didn’t work for the beleaguered Chinwoke Mbadinuju. So from the get-go, the effort of Dr. (Mrs.) Betty Nnadi, a PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Imo State, was doomed. She was lucky to have escaped a highly suspicious attack, as did US-based Dr. Kpaduwa. Honorable Lady Ugochi Nnanna-Okoro, former representative of the Owerri municipal at the Imo State House of Assembly, was also gunning for a gubernatorial slot. Needless to add, there was no dice there.

Chief (Ms.) Loretta Aniagolu was a beacon of APGA’s formative days. Later, she became the body and soul of Enugu State UNPP. She was its surefire flag bearer, and she has an agenda beautifully packaged as “Double HEAT” (See www.aniagolu.org), unlike the numerous wannabes who cripple each other without incumbent Governor Chimaroke Nnamani lifting a finger. Loretta had it wrapped up… well, until Senator Jim Nwobodo and his fellow peripatetic PDP ‘rebels’ cornered the UNPP presidential ticket in Abuja. They flew home to Enugu to squeeze the sister out of a setup she had labored to put in place. With political machismo in full force and UNPP’s Saleh Jambo and Clement Akpamgbo doing little about it, the flame of emerging female gubernatorial candidate in Enugu dimmed. The Big Boys muscled her out; after all, it’s a macho mundo! But there is no writing Loretta off; she is already a big player. She is a Big Girl in town. It will be a colossal loss if whoever occupies the Lion Building this May fails to tap into her energy for the good of tourism in Enugu and environs. As a fellow Enuguite and a supporter of our sisters rising in all spheres of societal activities, I wish her all the best in all future political endeavors.

Now you are munching the meat of the matter: This piece is dedicated to Loretta Ngozichukwu Aniagolu for her remarkable representation of Waawa womanhood. No more shall those coming after her wonder whether it is safe to step out and play with the boys. No more shall our young girls sit back and wait to be paraded across convention halls as trophies or wait back in hotel rooms for after-hours frolicking. It shall surely be well with Loretta and other sisters struggling to make our communities better.

In Anambra State, the lady who almost became its governor in Abacha’s ill-fated transmutation plot, Mrs. Joy Emordi, is fighting to keep men away from her bid to replace Senator Chuba Okadigbo. Dr. Okadigbo, now a running mate to Buhari in ANPP presidential ticket, can still pull strings and stop her if she gets the PDP tickets. Also in Anambra, Chief (Mrs.) Chika Ibeneme had her rug of delegates pulled from under her feet as “unaccredited”! With Oderaa (Governor Mbadinuju) digging in with everything he could muster to counter the tsunami of Emeka Offor billions, the woman had no chance in a sea of sinking PDP aspirants. Even now that Oderaa is off-track, this sister has no chance in the political pits of PDP politics.

In Lagos, Princess Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya, a lawyer and daughter of the late nationalist Otunba Adeniran Ogunsanya, is another lady to watch. Reportedly fluent in French, English, Yoruba, and Igbo, Ms. Ogunsanya could spring a pleasant surprise from her Ikorodu county constituency of Lagos State. A coordinator of the state Women Opinion Leaders Forum, (WOLF), Adenrele is not new to politics. She worked with her father, who was national chairman of Nigeria Peoples Party in the Second Republic. She also worked with the M. K. O. Abiola campaign. She was in the United Nigerian Congress Party during the Abacha days. She ran and won to go to HOR from Eti-Osa, but the process was aborted. In 1999, she moved from ANPP to PDP, looked set to be running mate to Chief Dapo Sarumi, and then settled again for the federal House in AD country. She lost. But her luck could change in a county with strong Igbo voters, who still cherish the political association of her dad and Zik of Africa.

CONCLUSION

In the coming democratic dispensation, it is very unlikely that women will get the 30 percent representation in government, as agreed in the Beijing Declaration. It is quite ironic that women cannot break through on their own, especially when statistics show that not only are there more women than men but there are far more women voting than men! But that may be changing. From New Nigeria’s Ibrahim Adam in Kaduna, we read on Wednesday, January 22, 2003:

“The quest for a presidential candidate has transcended party affiliation and assumed a gender dimension as Mrs. Agnes Sayal, a councillorship candidate (Narayi ward of Chikun Local Government Area) on the platform of United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) is campaigning for Mrs. Sarah Jibril for the presidency. Mrs. Jibril is a presidential candidate on the ticket of Progressive Action Congress (PAC).”

The trend is not likely to be replicated widely. Women do not generally vote for women, and many Nigerian men are not about to overcome centuries of bias. There are sociological and cultural reasons why we won’t see many women up there. However, in a level playing field devoid of assassinations, acid baths, and asininities, many Adenreles, Bettys, Daisys, Doras, Lorettas, Rahilas, Sarahs, Tejus, etc. could emerge and channel their energy to nation building. Until then, the need to give a credible voice to the majority of Nigerian electorate, our mothers and sisters and daughters, is no longer just a matter of political correctness a la Beijing Declaration; it is a matter of moral and sociopolitical necessity. On this much we all agree.

Everything else is embellishment.

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