Source: Nigerian Tribune
Regional Editor (News), Olawale Rasheed, reports the recently concluded African First Ladies Peace Mission in Abuja, affirming that Dame Patience Jonathan has re-emerged as the First Lady of first ladies on the African continent.

THE recently concluded summit of African first ladies has come and gone. Surrounding the event was a pool of controversy. When local political colouration is removed and the culture of Jonathan bashing is set aside, certain facts emerge that must attract the attention of the worst of cynics.

Many are unaware of the fact that the Nigerian First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, was not the founder of the African First Ladies Peace Mission. Rather, the body was established as a fallout of the 1995 Beijing convention which, among others, sought to institutionalize the role of first ladies in tackling the many protracted conflicts ravaging the continent. The other fact was that Nigeria was first elected into the presidency of the mission in 2008, meaning that the present first lady only inherited the office from her predecessor.

The controversial summit thus attempted to place the role of women in African politics in proper perspective. For example, many reports, even from advanced democracies, had noted the powerful influence wives of office holders have on their husbands. The only difference, analysts noted, is that in settled democracies, such influences are subtle and largely unseen by the public. Even here, exceptions existed, as was the case of Hilary Clinton who was so powerful during the Bill Clinton presidency that she was placed in charge of health policies.

For the peace summit, however, a surprising aspect was the massive attendance by the majority of the first ladies and the representation from those who were not in attendance. Equally noteworthy during the summit was the very light manners the first ladies took the controversies, as most of them even saw Nigerians as very tolerant. The third observation was the concrete conclusions reached which many experts in the field agreed are comforting in the drive to raise the role of women in African development.

The Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, could not hide his excitement at the high attendance at the summit. Beyond his records as the most gender-sensitive president Nigeria has ever produced, the president also canvassed for more roles for women, describing them as pivotal to the realisation of peace and prosperity on the continent. Malawi president, Joyce Banda, who delivered the keynote address, proved again that the women on the African continent are ready for leadership not just from the bedroom angle but on the frontal presidential seat. Her presentation detailed a vision of a prosperous Africa where peace and prosperity would reign, with women unshackled from negative customs and granted their rights as productive members of the society.

During the sessions, each first lady presented reports of what she was doing to foster better life for women and children in her country. The presentations were an eye opener, as many of the first ladies indeed had official roles with specific official assignments which saw them taking active roles in women, health and youth affairs in their respective countries. As each first lady took the podium, the presentation confirmed that, if properly regulated, the wives of leaders can be a positive influence on leadership development on the continent.

For example, the first lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma, listed the following, among others, as having been out in place through the intervention of the office of the first lady, namely Customary Marriage and Divorce Act, Devolution of Estate Act, Domestic Violence Act, the Child Rights Act and the Sexual Offences and Matrimonial Causes Act.

According to her, "We cannot deny the fact that the theme of this conference is particularly relevant to our collective aspiration to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We will not be able to make the African woman a voice for peace without advocating gender equality, universal education for all, especially the girl child and economic empowerment, combating the dreadful HIV/Aids pandemic, providing maternal health for all our African women, together with adequate health facilities for our children who are the future leaders.''

Equally interesting was the roles some of the first ladies played in mobilising women for the political process. The stories were the same from across the continent, with the Nigerian First Lady flaunting her frontline roles in the election of her husband during the 2011 general election. That aspect of mobilisation also affects post-conflict countries where the first ladies gave detailed accounts of their roles in keeping peace and resolving conflicts.

The host, Dame Jonathan, had a long list of accomplishments to present, namely the securing of juicy and strategic appointments for women in her husband's cabinet, the first female Chief Justice of the federation, admission of women into the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Nigeria's female representatives at ECOWAS, African Union, the United Nations and the many gender-sensitive policies of the Jonathan administration. Her presentation also touched on the activities of her organization, which she said was in the forefront of mobilising for peace in Nigeria.

In a communiqué issued at the end of it two-day summit in Abuja, African first ladies agreed on a long list of positions designed to realise the peace mission of the organisation. While commending their accomplishments so far, the first ladies, like Oliver Twist, lamented the inability of African women to use their great potentials for the prevention and resolution of incessant conflicts on the continent, resolving to join hands to reverse the trend.

The communiqué equally called for the removal of barriers against women, saying such would enable them to unleash their full potentials in promoting peace on the African continent. In effect, the summit clamoured for more strategic appointments for women and the implementation of gender laws where they have been passed and the making of such laws where they presently do not exist.

The summit ended with the delegates again re-electing the Nigerian first lady as the President of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM). All other regional heads of the mission were also re-elected at the summit. Dame Patience Jonathan is to be assisted by the First Lady of Cameroon, who was re-elected Vice President (Central African Region), First Lady of South Africa (Vice President, Southern African Region); First Lady of Sudan (Vice President, Eastern African Region); and the First Lady of Libya (Vice President, Northern African Region).The First Lady of the Republic of Congo was re-elected ex-officio executive for a fresh two-year term.

The successful conclusion of the summit saw a measure of jubilation from the troika of powerful women regarded as the kitchen cabinet of the first lady, namely the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Amina Sambo; the wife of the Senate President, Mrs Hellen Mark, and a friend of the first family, Hajia Bola Shagaya.While Hajia Sambo as the head of the Nigerian delegation was supported by Mrs Mark, Hajia Shagaya was said to have provided strong moral support arising from her experience as a shrewd and masterful player of first lady politics in Nigeria.

The First Lady, not oblivious of her many critics in Nigeria, savoured the pleasure of her re-election with the following words: "It as a great honour for me and my country and I promise that the new mandate will further strengthen our resolve to lay a solid foundation for our great organisation.''

"We will not relent in our efforts in ensuring that the African First Ladies Peace Mission fulfills its divine responsibility of achieving a lasting peace in Africa,'' she said.

Even more telling was the vote of thanks by Mrs Koroma,the First Lady of Sierra Leone:" We have come to a successful conclusion of this summit and our collective gratitude goes to our able host, the president of the African First Ladies Peace Mission. We today christen her, Mama Africa.''