The NFF and its partners, totally reject and condemn in strong terms the comments made by Nigeria’s President Mohammad Buhari on Friday the 14th of October 2016 in response to his wife’s interview on Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Mrs. Aisha Buhari, during
the said interview publicly expressed discontent with Mr. President for
not living up to expectations. In response to certain statements made
by Aisha, President Buhari was quoted by the Associated Press (AP) as saying during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel,
that “his wife should be taking care of his kitchen, living room and
the other room” —meaning his bedroom. In his own words, President Buhari
said, “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room”.
Mr.
President’s comment connotes a nostalgic and repugnant invocation of
historical patriarchal oppression and subjugation of Nigerian women,
which has over the past alienated and denied Nigerian women access and a
level playing ground to compete equally with their male counterparts
both in public and personal spaces. Need we remind Mr. President about
the role and contributions of women in our nation building vis-à-vis the
socio-cultural, economic and political development of our beloved
Nigeria? We Nigerian women alongside our male counterparts have
throughout the history of the development of this country resisted and
will continue to resist every attempt made to diminish our contributions
to the development of this nation. We will continue to fights against
the entrenchment of patriarchal, socio-cultural and religious
misogynistic structures that oppress and demean the status of women in
our society. This demeaning statement violates right to dignity of every
woman, recognised in section 34 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
It
is notable that Mr. President’s condescending comment relegating his
wife’s role exclusively to his ’’kitchen and the other room’’ was made
during a state visit to Germany, a first world nation with advanced
democracy, headed by a woman (Ms. Angela Merkel). Ms. Merkel serves
as a clear example that women can attain to the highest leadership
position anywhere in the world if given the right support and
opportunity. Ms. Merkel would not have become the German Chancellor if she as a woman was solely relegated to the kitchen or the other room. Ms. Merkel, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Michelle Bachelet, Thersa May, Doris Leuthard and
other women in similar position demonstrates that women just like men,
are capable of making important decisions in the ‘boardrooms and
conference rooms’.
Mr.
President Sir, we Nigerian women hereby categorically state that we are
no less important than our male citizens. We matter equally. It is
inexcusable and utterly condemnable to refer to the first lady of
Nigeria and indeed any other woman as belonging to the ’’kitchen’’. It
may interest you to know that Nigerian women make up 42.2% of the labour
force (World Bank, 2014). Nigerian women contribute close to 70% of agricultural workforce (African Development Bank, 2015).
Millions of Nigerian women are entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers,
teachers, lawyers, farmers, traders among others. Nigerian women
including your wife Aisha, constitute 50% of the country’s population
and comments such as yours can never diminish or undermine our status
and contribution to national development and growth. Mr, President Sir,
your role as a statesman and leader of a polarized country such as ours,
connotes that you must never been seen either in public or private to
support ideas and positions that stifles 50% of the citizens of the
country you head. We equally admonish your follow up
comments/confirmation of your earlier position to a journalist that your
wife’s sole duty is to ‘take care of you’ is equally unacceptable. We
believe that you are not physically disabled or incapacitated to warrant
24hours personal care and if that is the case, may we suggest you seek
qualified paid professional care.
Mr.
President it is needless to remind you that Aisha your wife, is a
highly educated, influential and focused woman, from a family of
politicians. We recall her contributions and indeed the contribution of
other Nigerian women to the success of the 2015 elections, which ushered
in your government. Mrs. Aisha Buhari successfully rallied the support
of the mass of Nigerian women who make up approximately 50% of the total
number of voters that voted to put your government in power. Need we
remind you that women actively participated in political rallies,
campaigns, voters’ registration and actual voting exercises. We have not
forgotten about the promises you made to women during your election
campaign speeches, we are eagerly waiting for you to fulfil them
starting from appointing women equally in your ministerial cabinet.
The
NFF and its partners are saddened and worried to note that the present
political dispensation has the lowest representation of women in public
office. Women make up roughly 8% of the overall membership of the
legislature and only 7% of ministers currently serving in your cabinet
are women. This is against the 31% in the immediate past
administration. We wonder if this dismal representation of women in
decision making in your government has a direct link to your personal
opinion of women and their role in the society. The dismal role of women
in decision-making positions in this present administration is
extremely discomforting. Nigerian women were even further assaulted by
the rejection of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOP) by members of Nigeria’s Senate on Tuesday the 15th of
March 2016. The GEOP Bill seeks to guarantee the rights of women to
access equal opportunities in employment and education. It also seeks to
guarantee equal rights to inheritance for both male and female
children.
We
note that in other progressive democracies in Africa, in countries like
Rwanda women make up 63.8% in the Lower house of Assembly and 38.5% in
the senate. In South Africa women represent 41.9% and 35.2%
respectively. In Burundi women represent 36.4% in the lower Assembly and
41.9% representation in senate. Even Zimbabwe has 31.5% and 37.5%
respectively. In the Nigerian parliament as presently constituted, women
represent a dismal 5.6% in the Lower Assembly and 6.5% in the senate.
Very far from the agitated 35%, Affirmative Action provided for, in the National Gender Policy 2006.
The
NFF and its partners will like to use this medium to commend the
courage, sincerity, and audacity of Mrs. Aisha Buhari to speak up, upon
sensing that the government is clearly deviating from delivering the
electioneering promises it made to Nigerians. Never in our history as a
nation have we had a woman in that position use her power to express an
opinion that threatens even her personal comfort. We hereby use this
medium to call on President Mohammad Buhari to immediately;
· Offer
an unreserved public apology to his wife and indeed every Nigerian
woman and girls for the disparaging and demeaning misogynistic comment
made about confining the role of women in the society solely to the
domestics.
· Take
concrete actions to demonstrate his government’s commitment to
actualizing 35% Affirmative Action in all government institutions,
structures and decision-making positions.
· Demonstrate a clear road map of implementing the sustainable development goal especially goal 5 on Gender equality.
· Fulfil
every electioneering promise made to Nigerian women and take steps to
secure the lives of women and girls especially those in conflict
situations.
· Show public support for women’s right and gender equality.
We
also call on the leadership of Nigerian legislature, not to relent in
its commitment to ensure the immediate passage of the re-introduced
Gender and Equal Opportunities bill presently before the senate.
Signed,
Geraldyn Ezeakile
Nigerian Feminist Forum, Secretariat.
Co-signed
by; Women Africa (WA), Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nigera
(WEAN), Centre for Mmadu on Human Rights (C4M), Alliances for Africa
(AfA), Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), Women Crisis Centre
(WCC) Lesley Agams, Equity Advocates (EQ) Echoes of Women In Africa
(ECHOES), Arise Nigerian Women Foundation (ANWF), Gender and Development
Action (GADA), Media Concern Initiative for Women and Children (MCIWC),
Women’s Right and Health Project (WRAHP),Vision Spring Initiatives
(VSI), Voice of Eve International (VOI),
About the Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF)
The
Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF) is a biennial public policy forum that
brings together feminists from the six geo-political zones, government
officials, and other strategic partners to deliberate on issues of key
concern to the development of and emancipation of women in Nigeria. We
can be reached via email at;nigerianfeminist@gmail.com,
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