Full text of group’s statement
below
RE: NFF Press
Statement on President Buhari’s Public Misogynistic, Derogatory and Demeaning
Comments about His Wife; Aisha Buhari.
Lagos, 16th October 2016.
The NFF and its partners, totally
reject and condemn in strong terms the comments made by Nigeria’sPresident
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).
President Buhari .. slammed by women group |
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”.
Mrs. Aisha Buhari |
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),
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