Elevating women beyond mediocrity, the Kwara State Example by Abdulrazaq Hamzat
Since May 29, 2019, when Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has taken over as Kwara State Governor, the state of harmony, as Kwara is fondly called has been setting pace in different areas.
More recently, the nomination of 56% of women into state cabinet has got the nation talking. This is in addition to having about 5 of the 16 commissioner nominees being below the age of 30.
While many across Kwara State are applauding governor Abdulrahman’s sense of youth and gender balancing, others are critical of the governor’s elevation of women to the place of prominence.
The governor’s critics are specifically questioning women capability and capacity to perform in public offices, arguing that governor Abdulrahman nominated many women, so he would be able control them.
Mahatma Ghandi, the legendary pacifist of India spoke about women and their inherent capacities in glowing terms.
The global icon did not only believe that women are equal to men in competence and capability, he actually believed women are superior to men.
According to him, If by strength, is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior.
Ghandi went on to conclude that, woman is more fitted than man to make exploration and take bolder actions.
Could governor Abdulrahman have shared in Ghandi’s believe that women are more fitted than men to embark on exploration and take bolder actions? That’s what i took away from his cabinet appointment.
However, beyond theoritical postulations, the practicality of Mahatma Ghandi’s statements has been put to test in two (2) African countries namely Ethiopia and Rwanda and the result of their exploration is visible, even to the blind.
Both Ethiopia and Rwanda currently have in its government, more than 50% women leaders, who are shaping a progressive future for their respective countries.
While Rwanda has 61% female in it’s government, Ethiopia on the other hand has 50% women ministers, including their first female ceremonial president, with Abiy Ahmed, the male prime minister being the head of government.
The two (2) African countries, with their reformatory approaches, have caught global attention, especially with their progressive reforms and rising possibility, largely spearheaded by women.
Like never before, the two countries are taping into the immeasurable strength and capacity of its female jewels, and turning the hitherto weaker gender, into a source of strength and progression.
In the past one year, reforms taking place in Ethiopia have not only become a major subject of interest in global circle, it has also earned the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace prize.
What more could testify to the efficiency of his majorly female cabinet?
Rwanda on the other hand is now known as a nation of prosperity, from being a nation totally destroyed by the 1994 Genocide.
25 years after a bloody civil war that claimed almost 25% of Rwanda population, the country has turned out to be a resilient and fast-growing economy being propelled by mostly women.
The country has put its people and their wellbeing at the forefront of her development, restoring hope to a society that had given up on life, thanks to its gender equality measure.
Like many countries around the world, it is a known fact that Nigeria is not such a gender sensitive nation.
While women constitute about half of the world’s population. Women are still largely under-represented in government in many countries, including Nigeria.
The global participation rate of women in parliament in January 2017 was 23.3%.
On the brighter side, research has shown that countries are exploring measures to increase the participation of women in government at all levels.
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) compiled a list of countries with the largest percentage of women in government, some of which include,
Rwanda (61.3%), Canada (50%), Ethiopia (50%), Colombia (50), Costa rica(56% ) and others.
Nigeria is not among countries taking steps to increase women participation and without any question, the country has very low rates of female representation in politics by global and regional standards.
Although, the proportions of women in elected positions increased slightly between 1999 and 2007, from an average of 2.3% across both houses of legislature to 7.8%, these small gains had stopped by 2011.
As of 2015, Nigeria had 20 women out of 359 in its lower house (5.6%) and 7 out of
109 in its upper house (6.4%). This put it 180th in the world (“Women in Parliaments: World Classification,” 2019).
Following the 2019 elections, women make up 7.3% of the Nigerian Senate and 3.1% of the House of Representatives. (NWTF, 2019).
Even in appointed offices, the number of women serving as ministers and appointed executives is also very low, with 11 of the 636 appointed executives between 1999 and 2015 being women (17.5%) and 15% of ministers in the same period (NCWD, 2016).
In the midst of this low participation of women at the national level, the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq decided to be a trend breaker and a pacesetter by nominating 56% of women into his cabinet, which is actually the highest in the history of Nigeria since 1960.
By breaking the trend of women marginalization in Nigeria’s political leadership, governor Abdulrahman has elevated women beyond reversal, particularly in Kwara State and this writer believe strongly that the result of the governor’s confidence in women will be reaped in excellent service and developmental accomplishments for Kwara State.
With this, Kwara State, the state of harmony is setting the pace in gender parity, which is worthy of applause by all and sundry.
*Abdulrazaq Hamzat is the Convener of Kwara Must Change* .
