A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday said he
would write another open letter but it would take a while before he
would do so.
He also advised women to come out of their self-exclusion from
governance and begin to take active part in politics.
Obasanjo, who said this at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria
Island, Lagos, while fielding questions from women at the
14th annual lecture of the Women in Management, Business and Public
Service, added that the membership of his Coalition for
Nigeria Movement had hit three million.
Obasanjo said the CNM was making an inroad into the grass roots
across the country, but he reiterated that he would pull out
if the movement metamorphosed into a political party or became
partisan in any form.
He said, “The Coalition for Nigeria Movement is penetrating to
the grass roots. And presently there are over three million members
who had registered.”
Asked whether he would write another open letter on a burning
national issue concerning women marginalisation in governance, he
replied that he would but it would take a while before doing
so.
He said, “After my last letter, it will take some time before I
write another one.”
The former President equally said women and the youth of the
country would be accommodated in the movement because they had been
marginalised in the scheme of things.
He said it was painful that since the country attained
independence 57 years ago, no woman had been elected as the
President, vice-president or senate president, despite the critical
mass of womenfolk with merit and ability.
The theme of the lecture was: ‘Press for Progress: Women,
Politics and Nation Building.’
Obasanjo, who delivered a keynote address at the event, added
that there had been women in Nigerian history who made
far-reaching changes in the society and their footprints had
remained indelible.
He further argued that there was no tradition or culture that
encouraged subjugation of women in Nigeria, but blamed the
shortchanging of the womenfolk in the scheme of things on what he
termed the selfishness of men.
While he noted that women formed 52 per cent of Nigeria’s
population, the former president added that women were more
reliable in politics than men.
He said, “In politics, if a woman says she is with you, rest
assured she meant it. But if a man says he is with you and you find
him attending another meeting of an opposing party, he tells you it
is politics.”
Obasanjo challenged women to take their rightful place in the
political space in 2019, stressing that no one would concede any
space to them unless they fought for it.
Obasanjo urged Nigerian women to take a cue from America,
saying if being a woman alone was what it takes to succeed
politically, Mrs. Hilary Clinton would have emerged as the
President of the United States of America.
He said, “If only womanhood was enough to get Mrs. Hilary
Clinton president of the United States of America, she would have
made it to the White House.
“She is beautiful but she had an opponent, a man (Donald Trump)
who did what he could do to get to power.
“I don’t want or expect women to climb palm trees to harvest
bunch of palm fruits. If anybody says he wants to see my mother
climb palm trees, I will take a second look at that person. But
women must do what it takes to succeed in the Nigerian political
space.
“To you women, do not allow anybody to build your world for you.
Build your world for yourself. Yes, women need encouragement and
empowerment but they must do enough for themselves.”
On her own part, the Executive Council Chairperson of WIMBIZ,
Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, described Nigerian women as “some of the
most intelligent, capable, confident and compassionate creatures on
God’s earth.”
She expressed the hope that a system that would give more women
opportunities to hold elective and appointive positions would work
in Nigeria.
Aboderin-Talabi said, “I believe that quota system that worked
in Rwanda can work in Nigeria. I think that the playing field needs
to be levelled and the government has to have affirmative
action.
“It has to have a decision, a policy that says we want to have a
minimum of 30 per cent of women in elective or appointive positions
and I believe that Nigeria will be all the better for it.”
Similarly, one of the founding trustees of WIMBIZ, Yewande
Zaccheus, expressed confidence that Nigerian women would play more
roles politically inthe 2019 elections.
She said, “I think you can see that we have well over 500 women
at this lecture today. Women are interested in politics and they
are poised to take their place next year.
“We are going to be forming various coalitions; we are going to
be getting involved in different ways to make sure that the impact
of women is felt on the 2019 elections.
“It is a fact that next year is an election year, so clearly
this is what is on the minds of most women because we have
all realised that politics affects everything about our lives.
“We can’t stay away from it; it affects our lives, our
businesses, our families so clearly the time is now and we really
all want to be a part of it this time round.”
A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday said he
would write another open letter but it would take a while before he
would do so.
He also advised women to come out of their self-exclusion from
governance and begin to take active part in politics.
Obasanjo, who said this at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria
Island, Lagos, while fielding questions from women at the
14th annual lecture of the Women in Management, Business and Public
Service, added that the membership of his Coalition for
Nigeria Movement had hit three million.
Obasanjo said the CNM was making an inroad into the grass roots
across the country, but he reiterated that he would pull out
if the movement metamorphosed into a political party or became
partisan in any form.
He said, “The Coalition for Nigeria Movement is penetrating to
the grass roots. And presently there are over three million members
who had registered.”
Asked whether he would write another open letter on a burning
national issue concerning women marginalisation in governance, he
replied that he would but it would take a while before doing
so.
He said, “After my last letter, it will take some time before I
write another one.”
The former President equally said women and the youth of the
country would be accommodated in the movement because they had been
marginalised in the scheme of things.
He said it was painful that since the country attained
independence 57 years ago, no woman had been elected as the
President, vice-president or senate president, despite the critical
mass of womenfolk with merit and ability.
The theme of the lecture was: ‘Press for Progress: Women,
Politics and Nation Building.’
Obasanjo, who delivered a keynote address at the event, added
that there had been women in Nigerian history who made
far-reaching changes in the society and their footprints had
remained indelible.
He further argued that there was no tradition or culture that
encouraged subjugation of women in Nigeria, but blamed the
shortchanging of the womenfolk in the scheme of things on what he
termed the selfishness of men.
While he noted that women formed 52 per cent of Nigeria’s
population, the former president added that women were more
reliable in politics than men.
He said, “In politics, if a woman says she is with you, rest
assured she meant it. But if a man says he is with you and you find
him attending another meeting of an opposing party, he tells you it
is politics.”
Obasanjo challenged women to take their rightful place in the
political space in 2019, stressing that no one would concede any
space to them unless they fought for it.
Obasanjo urged Nigerian women to take a cue from America,
saying if being a woman alone was what it takes to succeed
politically, Mrs. Hilary Clinton would have emerged as the
President of the United States of America.
He said, “If only womanhood was enough to get Mrs. Hilary
Clinton president of the United States of America, she would have
made it to the White House.
“She is beautiful but she had an opponent, a man (Donald Trump)
who did what he could do to get to power.
“I don’t want or expect women to climb palm trees to harvest
bunch of palm fruits. If anybody says he wants to see my mother
climb palm trees, I will take a second look at that person. But
women must do what it takes to succeed in the Nigerian political
space.
“To you women, do not allow anybody to build your world for you.
Build your world for yourself. Yes, women need encouragement and
empowerment but they must do enough for themselves.”
On her own part, the Executive Council Chairperson of WIMBIZ,
Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, described Nigerian women as “some of the
most intelligent, capable, confident and compassionate creatures on
God’s earth.”
She expressed the hope that a system that would give more women
opportunities to hold elective and appointive positions would work
in Nigeria.
Aboderin-Talabi said, “I believe that quota system that worked
in Rwanda can work in Nigeria. I think that the playing field needs
to be levelled and the government has to have affirmative
action.
“It has to have a decision, a policy that says we want to have a
minimum of 30 per cent of women in elective or appointive positions
and I believe that Nigeria will be all the better for it.”
Similarly, one of the founding trustees of WIMBIZ, Yewande
Zaccheus, expressed confidence that Nigerian women would play more
roles politically inthe 2019 elections.
She said, “I think you can see that we have well over 500 women
at this lecture today. Women are interested in politics and they
are poised to take their place next year.
“We are going to be forming various coalitions; we are going to
be getting involved in different ways to make sure that the impact
of women is felt on the 2019 elections.
“It is a fact that next year is an election year, so clearly
this is what is on the minds of most women because we have
all realised that politics affects everything about our lives.
“We can’t stay away from it; it affects our lives, our
businesses, our families so clearly the time is now and we really
all want to be a part of it this time round.”