BPW AFRICA

During his campaign around the nation canvassing for votes of Nigerians towards realizing his ambition of occupying the presidential seat, which would give him constitutional powers to direct the affairs of the most populous black nation in the world, President Goodluck Jonathan promised to give women 35% appointment in his cabinet.

Shortly before the presidential election in April 2011, women in the country led by the First Lady herself through her Women for Change Initiative and other gender advocacy groups including BPW Nigeria intensified agitations for prominent roles in the administration of the country. Their argument was that there are many women in the country that are qualified, capable and ready to contribute their quota to the development and progress of the nation.

With the elections over and Goodluck Jonathan now in the saddle as the fourth president of the Fourth Republic and determined to pursue a transformation agenda that would take the country to an enviable position in the world, he has kept the promise he made to the women during his electioneering campaigns.

Looking at the composition of his cabinet, there are more men than women but the feminine gender has not been neglected. Out of the 42 ministers in the cabinet, 13 are women and they control key ministries like Finance, Communication Technology, Aviation, Petroleum Resources, Environment, Water Resources, Education, and Lands and Housing. The 13 women have an impressive pedigree, from their academic qualifications to the impact they have made in their chosen careers. Four women were also appointed as special advisers to the president making a total of 17 women in his cabinet.  

In the August 09, 2011 edition of The National Mirror, Murtala Nyako, the governor of Adamawa State in the north-east geo-political zone of Nigeria, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for making good his campaign pledge on Affirmative Action, noting that this action was unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.   

The governor, who made the commendation when the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, visited him in Yola, the capital city of Adamawa State, said “by fulfilling his campaign promise to the Nigerian women shortly after assumption of office, the President has indeed demonstrated his conviction to give Nigerian women the needed opportunity to contribute to the successful execution of his Transformation Agenda.

“We must not only commend the President, but we should also emulate the gesture in our states as governors. After all, it was the women and the youths of this country that were the major voters that elected us into office.” He, however, lamented on the low level representation of women in elective positions, saying that women need to go back to the drawing board and re-strategize on how to increase their fortunes in subsequent elections.

Nyako advised Nigerian women politicians to take a cue from their American counterparts by establishing a strong nongovernmental foundation that will source for funds and exclusively support female candidates into various elective positions. The governor said that economic and educational empowerment of women hold the key to their overall development.