Choose female deputies, Aisha Buhari urges presidential aspirants
Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has called on presidential and governorship candidates in the 2023 general elections to pick women as their running mates.
Mrs Buhari, represented by her Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs and Strategy, Muhammad Zorro, said this during the Leadership Newspapers’ annual awards 2021 in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to her, even the Gulf States had started to integrate women in ministerial positions up to 50 per cent.
She said the United Arab Emirates reserves 50 per cent slot for women in ministerial appointments and bureaucracy.
She said, “In 1983, the great Mallam Aminu Kano picked a woman, Mrs. Bola Ogumbo, who should have been in Delta State today, as his running mate.
“Therefore, it is not asking for too much if aspirants into the offices of Nigerian presidency, governors in the respective states or even chairmen of local governments honour Nigerian women by reserving their deputy positions for women.
“This is very, important. Only yesterday, one of the leading contenders in Kenya, Rahila Odinga, announced that Martha Karua, a leading lawyer, would be his running mate. This will be in addition to the emergence of Mrs. Samiha as President of Tanzania and others in various other parts of the world.
“Some of us who have continued to monitor the advancement of human inclusion in governance in political party administration, and other affairs of society, especially in the Gulf and Middle East states will concur on the emergence of women as leaders either in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and in all parts of Asian countries where women actually have been mainstreamed and integrated into some of the countries up to the level of 50% percent.”
This is profound and highly recommendable.
Though as Country that like Nigeria that are yet to understand the benefits and value of women, it will not be easy to implement, but not impossible.
What is your take 🤔