Ministerial Nominees And 35 Per cent Affirmative Action

Ambassador, Lady Folake Akinjoko, A Ministerial female nominee from Ondo State.

The list of ministerial nominees forwarded by States to President Goodluck Jonathan for appointment in the next cabinet has in each of them, at least, one woman. But will Jonathan consider the most canvassed 35 pe cent affirmative action for women in the appointments? Otei Oham writes

At several fora and right from the beginning of this administration, President Goodluck Jonathan has always pledged to back the 35 per cent affirmative action for women in terms of political appointments into high political offices such as ministerial, boards and committees, and elevation into top civil service positions.
Jonathan’s commitment flowed from the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) in Beijing, China, which was held about 16 years ago to discuss and adopt the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Nigeria was signatory to this document titled the Affirmative Action (AA) during the FWCW, precisely, between September 4 and 15, 1995 and promised to domesticate it, yet it appears the country is yet to meet the percentage in the consideration of women for offices.
In all, the conference witnessed plenary statements and commitments from member states regarding the actions they would take to promote equality, development and peace for and with the women of the world.
Ahead of the April, 2011 general elections, the president had declared that he would give women 35 per cent of all appointments if re-elected following the massive support he enjoyed during the campaigns.  His wife, Dame Patience also mobilized women on the dais of Women for Change Initiative to re-elect the President based on the same agenda. She specifically told women involved in the contests, and the electorate that if they complied, they would be the nucleus for driving the next administration.
The Affirmative Action stipulates 30 per cent representation of women in government, but the First Lady pegged it at 35 per cent, being part of her advocacy campaign fall-out which she took round the country.
But will Jonathan keep his words by naming the percentage of women into his next cabinet? The proportion requires that a minimum of 15 ministerial appointments be given to women in the next administration. In the entire new list, only Cross River State forwarded three female names. They are Martina Odom, Catherine Uyok Okon and Margaret Ebokpo.
Other women considered in the list are Fidelia Njeze (Enugu), Elizabeth Uvoh-Gardner (Delta), Sarah Adetugbogboh (Edo), Titilayo Owolabi (Ekiti), Esther Audu (FCT), Hadiza Abdulwahab (Jigawa), Bilkisu Kaikai (Katsina), Salamatu Suleiman (Kebbi), Ayitogo Sadaatu (Nasarawa), Jummai Mohammed Agwai (Niger), Henrietta Luke Fuba (Ogun), Patricia Etteh (Osun), Kadirat Omotanwa (Lagos), Adisa Nureni (Oyo), Aisha Aliyu Laraz (Zamfara), Amina Al-Zubair (Gombe), Dorcas Onuminya (Kogi) and Mary Paninga (Taraba)
A chieftain of the PDP and former Board of Trustees (BOT) chairman of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Chief Harry Akande, has also reminded President of his promise to fulfill his electoral promises to women by implementing the 35 per cent affirmative action for women in the formation of his cabinet and other federal appointments.
Akande said it was important for him to honour Nigerian women who voted for him massively during last month’s presidential polls by addressing their alleged marginalisation in the country’s democratisation process.
The insistence by women follows the recent retreat by Jonathan with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership at Obudu Cattle Ranch over zoning of offices and the new federal cabinet.
The participating women who spoke under the auspices of Gender Affirmative Action and the 100 Group Platforms added that they were dismayed at the recent composition of the 22-man probe election violence panel which had only three women.
The President had inaugurated a 22-man panel to probe various cases of election violence across the country. However, the women in a statement said the fraction in the panel was a clear departure from the President’s promise to ensure 35 per cent representation in his administration.
The statement was signed by representatives of women groups including: Saudatu Mahdi , Head of Secretariat, Gender Affirmative Action (GAA) Issue Based Project (IBP); Hajiya Ramatu H. B. Usman; National President, National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) Nigeria and Otive Igbuzor, Executive Director, Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development(LSD).
Others were: Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi; Executive Director, Women Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON); Ezinwa Okoroafor; Country Vice President, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria ; Asabe Baba Nahaya, National President, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ )and Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre(CISLAC)
They were also miffed that women were shortchanged in the zoning arrangement being put in place in the next administration.
The consideration for Hon. Mulikat Adeola  Akande Jokodolu, a PDP member in the House of Representatives representing Ogbomoso North, South and Orire federal constituency as the next Speaker is still shrouded in controversies. Her colleagues are reportedly pushing for the election of a member from outside the South-West as possible successor of outgoing Speaker, Dimeji Bankole.
In the last general elections, only seven women reportedly made it to the Senate, 12 to the House of Representatives and one deputy governor was considered among the 36 states of the federation. This situation, the women said can only normalize to achieve gender balance in the country if 35 per cent positions of appointments in the new government are conceded to them.
Statistics also show that 88 women contested for Senate and 218 vied for the House of Representatives seats in this year’s elections. Only five women were on the ballot for governorship race across the country in the elections and many male gubernatorial aspirants had women as running mates. There were 495 female candidates in the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
Comparatively, these statistics further show declining success for women since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999. 631 women surmounted the challenge of party primaries to contest the roughly 1,900 positions in the 1999 elections. Only 181 actually made it into office.
The number and percentage of women who were successful at the polls in 2011 was less than the figures in 2007 and 2003. In the 2007 elections, 660 women made it through party primaries, but only 93 gained offices nationwide.
Following the 2007 elections, Patricia Olubunmi Etteh was named as Speaker of the House, the highest political post achieved in recent times by a woman in Nigeria, but her recklessness in the handling of finances shove her off the exalted seat.
Mrs Sarah Jubril, who contested the PDP primaries with Jonathan and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in this year’s elections, got only one vote. Political analysts say she was probably the one who voted for herself.
In the just-concluded elections, there was only one female presidential candidate in the person of Mrs. Ebiti Ndok of the United National Party for Development (UNPD). At the poll, she got paltry votes that when mentioned, could humidify the zeal of women in aspiring for the country’s number one seat in 2015. But in all, will the President keep his words? Let’s watch and see.