For Immediate Release
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’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.
·Fulfill 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.
(+2348068864475)
Co-signed by:
1. Women Africa (WA)
2. Women Entrepreneurs Association of
Nigera (WEAN)
3. Centre for Mmadu on Human Rights (C4M)
4. Alliances for Africa (AfA)
5. Legal Defence and Assistance Project
(LEDAP)
6. Women Crisis Centre (WCC) Lesley Agams
7. Equity Advocates (EQ)
8. Echoes of Women In Africa (ECHOES)
9. Arise Nigerian Women Foundation (ANWF)
10.
Gender
and Development Action (GADA)
11.
Media
Concern Initiative for Women and Children (MCIWC)
12.
Women’s
Right and Health Project (WRAHP)
13.
Vision
Spring Initiatives (VSI)
14.
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, nff@alliancesforafrica.org and via twitter:
@nff2008
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