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Aishat Buhari |
The change mantra of the All
progressives congress at the 2015 general election may have indeed earned
president Muhammadu Buhari and his political party victory at the polls, yet
the principle of governance goes beyond mere celebrations and takeover of
political power, it is also not just about who gets what position or
appointment, but about implementing and fulfilling the electoral promises made
to the people during campaigns and rallies before and after the election.
It is clear that expectations are high and many Nigerians are eager to see the real change that the APC government has promised, especially at a time when Nigerians unanimously voted out PDP's 16 years reign, to entrust the leadership of the country in the hands of a new leader that has pledged to fight corruption, provide better security, create jobs among other things. Implementing that manifesto is critical to the success and credibility of this government but what is more important is for the common man on the street to benefit immensely from the policies.
It is clear that expectations are high and many Nigerians are eager to see the real change that the APC government has promised, especially at a time when Nigerians unanimously voted out PDP's 16 years reign, to entrust the leadership of the country in the hands of a new leader that has pledged to fight corruption, provide better security, create jobs among other things. Implementing that manifesto is critical to the success and credibility of this government but what is more important is for the common man on the street to benefit immensely from the policies.
President Muhammadu Buhari
appears to be starting on a good note, first, with his visit to countries
bordering Nigeria in the northeast especially Niger and Chad which have become
entry points and hideout for boko haram militants and then his and recent visit
to the United States to discuss the country's economy, securing its borders and
fighting boko haram insurgents. However, the content of the manifesto include
many other things even though it may be too early to begin to judge his
government less than 100 hundred days after he assumed office.
Having analyzed the
Buhari/osinbajo manifesto on profyemiosinbajo.com, it might just be right to
conclude that a huge task lies ahead of these two leaders and their team
especially on their bid to reposition the Nigerian economy. Another feature on
that manifesto that calls for attention, but appears not to be on the priority
list is the social aspect of it- women empowerment and the plight of
children. Some of Buhari's major critics tagged him a chauvinist but he
has proved them wrong with the appointment of a woman to fill the big seat
vacated by Attahiru Jega at the independent national electoral commission, even
though he has yet to form a cabinet. President Buhari is not giving the
unofficial office of the First lady a priority, his wife Aisha Buhari also
prefers to be addressed as the wife of the president and not the First lady as
adopted by successive governments. That still does not mean the unofficial
office of the president's wife should not be saddled with some responsibilities
that would help to actualize the president's electoral promises as contained in
his manifesto. Without any iota of doubt the president, the vice president and
other ministers would take up bigger responsibilities of running the country's
economy, suffice it to say that the social aspect or the humanitarian aspect of
that manifesto can be handled by the president's wife unofficially.
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Buhari and Osinbajo |
Someone has to pay attention to
the plight of women and children because they remain a vulnerable class of the
population. In the United States for instance the First lady of the united
states(FLOTUS) is an unofficial title and position traditionally held by the
wife of the president, concurrent with his term of office. History has it that
if an American president is not married, or if the president's wife is unable
to act as first lady, the president usually asks a female relative or friend to
act as White house hostess. The role of the wife of the president has evolved
over the centuries. She organizes and attends official ceremonies and functions
of state either along with, or in place of the president. Former first lady of
the United States Dolley Madison popularized the first ladyship by engaging in
efforts to assist orphans and women. President Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor is
remembered for authoring a weekly newspaper column and hosting a radio show
apart from being fashion trendsetters. However, these roles should not be
missing in the Nigerian political system, even though the president's policy
forbids it.
It is on record that the late
wife of former Military president Maryam Babangida founded the better life
program for rural women in 1987 and under her leadership, the programme raised
increased social awareness, acceptance and widespread knowledge of issues
confronting the Nigerian woman. It also empowered these women socially,
economically and politically and has since achieved outstanding results that no
wife of successive Nigerian presidents matched.
From findings, women and
children form about 50% of the Nigerian population. This set of people may have
not had the best of treatment in our great country Nigeria. They are confronted
with problems of inadequate medical care during pregnancy and after childbirth,
domestic violence and forced sexual labour.
It is obvious that any
intervention, no matter how huge and spectacular, is long overdue. Many
Nigerian children also suffer physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect by
the family and the society. No matter how many females we have in leadership
positions today, the fundamental problems of the Nigerian female are yet to be
addressed. Many Nigerian women are not safe. They are not secure. We live in a
country where more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped from their hostel in the
northern part of the country and yet not much is done to protect the interest
of others like them who remain vulnerable. Our society is one where a young girl
is bathed with acid for daring to say “No” to a man’s advances, and the
perpetrator walks free, even as the victim lives in daily mental and physical
anguish. These people need a voice.
At the Millennium Summit in
September 2000, world leaders adopted the UN Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) which are the world’s time-bound and quantified targets for addressing
extreme poverty in its many dimensions – income, poverty, hunger, disease, lack
of adequate shelter, etc (UN Millennium Project, 2005).
This means that it is not out of
place if the wife of President, Hajia Aisha Buhari comes up with programmes
that would make life better for Nigerian women and children, that remains an
aspect of the president's manifesto that can be well handled by his wife of
many years.
It is also on record that in
1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy, wife of the former president Olusegun
obasanjo, Stella obasanjo set up a project known as child care trust. The trust
focused on healthcare services for physically and mentally challenged children.
One of the major achievements of the CCT was the establishment of a special
children model centre in Bwari, Abuja.
Hajia Buhari's track record is
clear, she can help women fight their cause facilitate their empowerment
through loans and financial support, ensuring that laws protecting the rights
of women are enforced, provision of healthcare centres all over the country,
where pregnant women can be treated and where they could go for post-natal
care, ensuring and enforcing the education of the girl child, especially in the
parts of the country, where girls rarely go to schools. So, why wait for the
president or the vice president to take these bold steps to deliver this aspect
of the president's manifesto? The office the first lady of Nigeria may cease to
exist but there sure exists the position of the wife of the president.