Nigerian women possess leadership traits needed to drive the nation into prosperity. But to harness these, they must be given the opportunity, according to the Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen. At a seminar on women’s participation in Nigeria’s political process held in Abuja, Ambassador Karlsen said it was an irony that the Nigerian women noted for their courage and outspokenness are relegated to the background in the politics of their country.
The event hosted by the EU to mark this year’s International Women’s Month, brought together eminent female politicians and other politically-conscious women and civil society actors from across the country to discuss the fate of women politics. It had had the theme, “How do Women Win Election in 2019?” Among those in attendance were the wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, Senator Binta Garba, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, and Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, leading gender activist and wife of Minister of Solid Minerals.

Welcoming participants to the seminar, Ambassador Karlsen said the idea was to discuss how to get women in the country to be more educated in politics, promote their rights and make sure there are better opportunities for them. . “We are opening the door a little bit. We are reminding ourselves that women’s right is not only for speeches at occasions. It is something that should guide our works and our lives every day of the year.”
Much as gender imbalance is not a peculiar Nigerian problem, the EU Head of Delegation said the country would be short-changing itself by not making the political more space inclusive to enable women to contribute in shaping its destiny. “The statistics in this particular country makes it very clear: only six female senators, if I’m not mistaken, 15 female members of the House (of Representatives) and five (female) deputy governors in this great country, the biggest country in Africa. We need to ask ourselves whether this is good enough.”

Relieving her experience in politics, Sen. Garba said her path has been dogged by the same factors that have made the political arena hostile to women with political ambitions. “Culture was against me, religion was against me. Women were used against me,” she said.

It did not help that she hailed from Adamwa state and was campaigning in a constituency that was predominantly Muslim while she was Christian. But Sen. Garba said she stood her ground. While respecting the institutions and the religious leaders, she said she did what was needful, and those things she did spoke for her when it mattered most: “With those little things I was doing within my community, it was the women that stood their ground and said, even when Binta was nobody, she made some certain inputs towards their livelihood. That was how I became a member of House of Representatives.”

She also had to deal with hostility of Imams and even church leaders, who questioned why she should contest election in Kaduna. “But, within me, I have this fighting spirit, and I told myself that I must be the voice of those voiceless women, whatever it would cost, I would never, never succumb to any pressure whatsoever.”

Sen Garba came to the House of Representatives as the youngest of all 360 members in 1999,at barely 28, and she put it down to her persistence, focus, determination and refusal to succumb to intimidation and frustration n account of her gender. “It might not be today, but someday, somehow, I know that women in Nigeria will definitely stand up with men.”

Sen. Garba who has been a federal lawmaker since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999 said in 2006, former Governor of Adamawa state, Boni Haruna, asked her to contest for the Senate in her home state of Adamawa, and promised to assist her. Sen. Garba has been a senator representing Adamawa North since then.

She urged women to be firm when they are interested in politics and be close and fair to their constituents. While appealing to all women in the country to vote for their fellow women who show interest in politics, irrespective of their political affiliations, she urged that the “35% Affirmative Action” which seeks the allocation of 35 percent of all political offices to women be enshrined in the nation’s constitution and in political parties’ constitutions.

Mrs. Saraki expressed delight with the release of the abducted Dapchi girls, and described the loss of five of the girls as unfortunate. “I want to say that those who seek to intimidate our girls and women and prevent them from accessing education or fulfilling their potentials would never succeed in Nigeria,” she said.

Citing a recent US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) report, she said: “When 10 per cent of girls go to school, a country’s GDP on the average increase by 35 per cent. When women have the same amount of land as men or ownership of land, there is over 10 per cent increase in crop yield.”

The wife of the Senate President said allowing women to make good use of their potentials yields good dividends to any nation, adding that they should not be deterred from making needed contributions to nation building through politics. According to her, the UN estimates that gender inequality costs Sub-Saharan Africa an average $95 billion yearly.

In a keynote presentation, the Senior Programme Manager, Global International Idea’s Programme on Political Participation & Representation (Sweden) Rumbidzai Washika-Nhunda said many women and youths around the world don’t like joining political parties because they see men as being patriarchal. The problem lies within the socialization, political and socio-cultural context,” she said.

Identifying intra-party democratic processes as one of the key problematic areas, she said the character context and political context have inhibited women from entering into politics to present themselves as candidates for position of power and decision-making.

“We need to realize that this is a transformative agenda. This is an agenda of redistribution of power and privileges,” she said of the imperative of allowing women in politics. She argued that only a few men would be willing to allow women to be elected into political offices. In as much as men could represent women, she noted, women’s physical bodies are needed in elective offices, and that numbers matter in a democracy.

According to her, only about half of the countries of the world manage to help a critical minority in parliament, executive or any position of power or decision-making. She listed Sweden as one of the countries that have been fair to women in terms of political inclusiveness. “It’s suicidal for any political party in Sweden not to subscribe to the principle of gender equality and women’s political empowerment.

She urged Nigeria to take a cue from countries like Rwanda, Bolivia, Mexico, South Africa, Senegal, Namibia, Uganda, Angola and Zimbabwe, which have some forms of legislative quotas. “We need to understand that every gender quotas, like for instance, the provision in Kenya which is also reflected in the electoral law, which is also being reflected in the political parties’ law, cascades in the political processes where the different political actors interact.”
Washika-Nhunda maintained that when a country adopts legislative gender quotas, they are not doing women favour, stressing that it is a democratic imperative. She said it called for concern for a society to neglect 50 percent of its potentials. She also urged women in Nigeria to mobilize themselves for the 2019 general elections.

However, Washika-Nhunda yet disabused the minds of people who reason that women alone are capable of electing themselves into power. “The democratic argument that women should vote for one another does not work. If it was applicable, all our parliaments across the world, and in particular in Africa would be having at least people who are aged 35 years and below. Why? The youths in our countries are at least 40 to 50 percent.

Ms. Ida Hockerfelt of the Sweden Embassy in Nigeria told the gathering that her country was working on making information on women who have and are making impacts around the world available for people to access online, especially on the Wikipedia, the hub for such information, globally. She said such information would spur women across nations to rise and break barriers on their paths to success and seeing themselves as equal to men.According to her, only 10 per cent of information on the Wikipedia is for women. She said the efforts would further promote the cause of gender equality and significance of women in global polity.

Guardian

Since the news that Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukemia filtered in July last year, Super Eagles’ coaches have been thrust into an unending search for a solid replacement for the Wolves’ goalkeeper. Ikechukwu Ezenwa was handed the glove during the Super Eagles World Cup qualifiers. The Enyimba goalkeeper posted good numbers, not conceding any goal from open play, but he was also unconvincing in certain games, misjudging crosses while displaying questionable decision-making sometimes.

His unsure displays sparked calls for the return of the retired Vincent Enyeama. At the time, the veteran goalkeeper was recuperating from a lengthy layoff caused by his injured knee.

Similar calls were made by majority of the respondents to a recent poll conducted by The Guardian. 54.67 per cent of the 807 respondents preferred to see Vincent Enyeama between the sticks when the World Cup kicks-off in June in spite of him not being in contention at Lille.
But the fans may not get their wish. Gernot Rohr, at first, seemed stoked by the idea of Enyeama’s return to the national side holding out for his full recovery. The coach was not entirely sold on the options he had on hand; all he had to do was convince Enyeama to return from his retirement and there was going to be undisputed quality between the sticks. However, things took a sudden turn when Rohr hinged Enyeama’s awaited return on his playing time.

Prior to Rohr’s volte-face, Enyeama after his return from injury was ostracised alongside 10 others from the first-team by the quirky Marcelo Bielsa. Rohr shut the door altogether on Enyeama’s return at the Aiteo/Nigeria Football Federation Awards in February looking to focus on the other options available.

‘’He (Enyeama) is not playing anywhere, so we cannot take players who are not playing,’’ Rohr said.‘’We are working hard to have the best of our legs taken to Russia and we don’t have the luxury of naming a player that has not been playing in recent time,” Rohr continued.

Ezenwa, who stepped in after Ikeme came down with Leukemia, looked likely to be Rohr’s first choice in goal, despite his foibles. The former Ifeanyi Ubah goalkeeper consolidated with exploits at both the WAFU Cup and the CHAN tournament with the Super Eagles B. But the fans, who responded were not enamoured by his goal-tending skills. Ezenwa, who only got 20 per cent of the votes, was trumped by greenhorn Francis Uzoho, who polled 22 per cent.
Uzoho, 19, has played just 180 minutes of top tier football with Deportivo La Coruna and three games for the Super Eagles.The bulk of his time has been in the third tier of Spanish Football with Deportivo Fabril, the reserve team of Deportivo de La Coruña. The youngster enjoyed time in goal in the Super Eagles recent friendlies against Poland and Serbia. Against Poland, Uzoho rebounded from an uncertain start to keep a clean sheet while there was not much he could do to stop both of Aleksander Mitrovic’s goals.

At the Fabril, Uzoho has kept 12 clean sheets from 19 matches played. His team has conceded the joint least amount of goals (23) in the Segunda Division B – Group 1, with Uzoho conceding just 12.

With a paltry 3.3 per cent, Daniel Akpeyi has little love and confidence from the Super Eagles’ fans. The Chippa United of South Africa goalkeeper has had it tough since the Africa Nations Cup qualifying game against South Africa. Things got worse after he dropped another clanger in the friendly against Argentina, handling the ball outside the area as well as displaying poor position for the resulting free kick.

The Super Eagles obviously need to have the safest pair of hands in Russia but the possibility of Enyeama returning to the team is bleak as Rohr is already focused on the other options available to him.
Guardian

Julius Maada Bio (L) takes the oath of office as new president of Sierra Leone on April 4, 2018 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger Julius Maada Bio secured his first term in office as a civilian Wednesday when he was declared the winner of a controversial presidential run-off. Bio, a former soldier who briefly led a military junta more than two decades ago, won 51.81 percent of ballots in last month’s election, according to official results. / AFP PHOTO / Saidu BAH

Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger Julius Maada Bio secured his first term in office as a civilian Wednesday when he was declared the winner of a controversial presidential run-off — but his opponent vowed to contest the result.

Bio, a former soldier who briefly led a military junta more than two decades ago, won 51.81 percent of ballots in last month’s election, according to official results.

He beat incumbent Samura Kamara, who secured 48.19 percent of the vote, ending a decade in power for Kamara’s All Peoples’ Congress (APC) in the poor West African nation.
Cheers and songs erupted among thousands of Bio’s supporters who were gathered in the capital Freetown on Wednesday evening. Shortly after the announcement, Bio was sworn in as president, handed a symbolic command baton by the country’s top judge.

But hopes for a smooth transition were soon thrown into doubt after Kamara said he was rejecting the National Election Commission’s results.

“We dispute the results and we will take legal action to correct them,” Kamara said in a televised address, calling on his supporters to stay calm.

The results, he added, “do not reflect the party’s many concerns about massive ballot box stuffing, supernumerary votes, and other irregularities.”

The official results of the vote had been delayed by a dispute over the method of tallying that left ballot papers from 11,000 polling stations uncounted.

The campaign was characterised by ugly verbal exchanges and sporadic violence with Bio accusing the APC of using police intimidation against his party.

Wary of China
Police reported a string of attacks on candidates and supporters on both sides since the first round on March 7 — which Bio narrowly won — after which Kamara declared that “the safety and security of Sierra Leone is in our hands”.

Bio, a straight-talking retired brigadier, has blasted the government’s closeness to China, while Kamara had presented himself as a continuity candidate.

Although international observers reported some “issues” during the March 31 second round that saw heightened security measures, the monitors declared themselves “satisfied” with the overall conduct of the poll.

Earlier Wednesday, Kamara supporters marched in Freetown, tearing down Bio posters and alleging “foreign meddling” in the vote, an AFP reporter said.

Security forces erected a cordon around Bio’s SLPP party headquarters, where hundreds of supporters had already begun celebrating victory ahead of the expected official results.

A total of 3.1 million people were registered to vote in the first presidential poll since a 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak that killed 4,000 people.

Kamara’s term was also marred by a mudslide that struck Freetown last year, killing hundreds of people.

One of the world’s poorest nations despite huge mineral and diamond deposits, Sierra Leone is recovering only gradually from war and disease. Its economy remains fragile, with corruption widespread in the former British colony.

Political loyalties are often divided along ethnic lines and traumatic memories of the 1991-2002 civil war run deep.

Bio was in a group of young soldiers behind a 1992 coup that would install their leader, Valentine Strasser, as the youngest head of state in the world, at age 25.

He later took power but agreed to step aside in 1996 for an elected civilian leader, and his subsequent apologies for his role in the junta appear to have rehabilitated his image.

Guardian