Source: This Day
The First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has asked the National Assembly to pass into law legislations on affirmative action to empower the Nigerian woman with 30 per cent political participation in the leadership of the country. Mrs Jonathan made this remark in Lagos while speaking during the national conference and dinner to mark the Nigeria centenary celebration of 100 years of the Nigerian woman.
The programme, a two-day conference that will provide a forum to debate women-related issues, in a bid to finding solutions to them, is a part of events lined up in preparation for the centenary celebration of Nigeria's existence as a nation in 2014.
According to the first lady, "While many countries across the world have passed decisive legislations on Affirmative Action, stipulated by the 18th conference on women, it took Nigeria almost 20 years after the conference to get to where we are."
Continuing, Mrs Jonathan said, "It is therefore delightful to note that for the first time in our history, since independence, we have 13 female ministers, out of 42, representing 31 per cent, and also six female special advisers, out of 18, representing 33 per cent in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
"Not only do we see women given high positions in our national body, the President Jonathan administration also boldly and courageously assign executive portfolios to them, such that is unprecedented."
The first lady said that, "It is true that there has been an increasing participation of women in our federal executive, legislation and judiciary, and other areas of our national body.
"The president approved the appointment of Aloma Mukhtar as the first female Chief Justice of the Federation. Nigerian women must therefore continue to show appreciation to His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan."
On the importance of adequate legislations backing affirmative action as regards women participation in governance, Mrs Jonathan said, "These gains can only become permanent if they are backed by legislations.
"We therefore appeal to the National Assembly to ensure the passage of a legislative endorsement on affirmative action, as well as a demonstration of appropriate instruments and framework on gender and equal opportunity."
While calling on the National Assembly to act quickly, the first lady listed some of the challenges facing the Nigerian woman as not only related to political participation, but also included "poverty, gender-based violence, discrimination against the girl child, harmful traditional practices."
Encouraging her fellow women to get involved in decision making as it affects them, the first lady enthused, saying, "No one gets anything without asking and working for it. Therefore we must not fold our hands and expect manna to fall from heaven."
On the need to emulate historical Nigerian women, Mrs Jonathan said, "Our predecessors worked hard to achieve greatness. We must learn from them in our current effort at improving the fortune of the Nigerian woman."