2019: Women demand 3 ministerial slots as condition for supporting Buhari

Nigerian women under the aegis of National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) have demanded for the appointment of more women in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet as a condition for their support for his re-election in 2019.

Making the demand on Thursday, a delegation of the NCWS led by its president, Dr. Gloria Shoda, during a visit to Buhari said there was presently a deficit of women representation in his government, and requested that he fills three vacant ministerial positions in his cabinet with women before the end of 2018.

Mrs. Shoda said that “Nigeria is yet to fulfill the target of 35 percent of women in decision-making posts in the Executive. The three women who vacated their ministerial posts for various reasons have not been replaced.

“You know we are the foot soldiers and as women, we come out to vote. If you do this for us, we will gladly come out en-mass to vote for you.

“We appeal to you to please champion the inclusion and participation of more women in your cabinet, public office and board appointments, can we also leave here with hope that these three ministerial vacancies will be filled before the end of this year.”

She told the President that Nigerian women were not happy over the manner major political parties treated them during the last primary elections held across the country.

“The major parties charged exorbitant fees for forms and other levies after which a lot of women were either dropped or asked to withdraw. This is why the 35 percent affirmative action is key for Nigerian women political advancement, this is done in other countries,” she stated.

According to her, there was need for the federal government to make a law that will domesticate the implementation of the affirmative action in the 36 states of the federation.

The NCWS President lamented that women in Nigeria continue to face safety challenges with issues of rape, assault and indiscriminate killings not being properly handled by security agencies.

“One of the most painful areas I want to highlight today, is the rate of sexual violence and abuse in our communities, schools, streets, homes and public transport and even the IDPs.

“There is hardly a day that we do not read about sexual molestation, rape, assault and killings perpetrated against girls and women,” she said.

In his response, Buhari jocularly told the group that he took the ” threat” seriously but would probably appoint more as Special Advisers or Assistants.

“I hope this is not a threat. Since the threat is clear and is coming at election time, maybe, I will appoint more women as SAs”, he said while noting that such demand on 35 percent affirmative action was coming at a time when campaigns for the 2019 general elections are about to start.

He told the NCWS leaders that he has since filled the vacant positions created as a result of the exit of three women with other women in the current cabinet.

The President recently redeployed Mrs. Zainab Ahmed former minister of State for Budget and National Planning to replace Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who resigned over NYSC certificate scandal.

Mrs. Aisha Alhassan former minister of Women Affairs who left to contest for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was replaced by Mrs. Aisha Abubakar, then Minister of State for Trade and Investment.

The President also promised to address the issue of women abuse in the country as raised by the NCWS leadership.