President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday jocularly warned Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that women were after his position.
Buhari was reacting to a request by a delegation of the Nigerian Female Parliamentarians that the slot of vice president of Nigeria be reserved for women in subsequent elections in the country.
Spokesperson for the delegation, Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, had alleged marginalization of Nigerian women in the sharing of political positions.
“Many African countries have imbibed that culture of twinning and is working – in Rwanda, in South Africa is working and we believe it will work in Nigeria,” she said.
Buhari acknowledged the efforts of women in ensuring political stability in the country and for the support given to him during the 2015 presidential elections.
But he said,in direct response to their demand for the VP slot that he was not “as powerful as you think I’m.”
He added:”It is a pity the Vice President is not here. But I believe the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will tell him that his position is threatened,’’ he jokingly told the visiting female lawmakers.
Mrs.Ativie, speaking on the alleged marginalization of Nigerian women in politics had said: “Since 1999 we only have one principal officer each in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“And in the State Houses of Assembly we have only just five per cent, women are five per cent of the total population of elected members of the State Houses of Assembly and we feel that this is not good enough for all the efforts we women had put in the development of this country particularly in politics.
Mrs. Ativie also said for every three senatorial seats in the states, one should be a woman.
She said “Where there are nine House of Reps members, the men should take six and leave three for women.
“Politically, women account for over 50 percent of voters in any election. They are very loyal politicians and do not cross-carpet. They wait patiently to cast their votes under the rain and even in the scorching sun.
“We feel the trend now needs to be reversed and we feel you are the only one who can do it now.
“The implementation strategy is simple. Any statement you make today is a policy statement and is a law.
“Now your Excellency is twinning. Many African countries have imbibed that culture of twinning and is working – in Rwanda, in South Africa is working and we believe it will work in Nigeria.
“Where a man is a president we expect that the vice president should be a woman; where a man is speaker, we expect that the deputy speaker should be a woman and vice versa.”
Besides, Ativie asked the Buhari administration to invest more in women’s participation in politics by creating an enabling environment for women to thrive and tackle perceived systematic and cultural hindrances to women’s inclusion.
She hailed the president for reversing the corruption that characterized the last administration,saying:”the impunity with which the former handlers embezzled with reckless abandon has become a thing of the past in our country because of Your Excellency’s doggedness, courage, firmness and integrity in standing for truth, fairness and equity.”
-Nation