Tony Eluemunor and Agharese Osifo on our women

On Friday, June 5th, 2022 in this column my focus was on our women whose collective voice has seemingly been silenced in our polity where our men have seemingly driven our women from the pursuit of politics and of politicking – and of politricking as well.

Simply put, I queried our women for giving up the pursuit of politics or of politicking or of politricking (although our women cannot be called politrickers). I clearly showed my deep admiration for our women, whose silence seemingly revealed (and still reveals) them to be depreciating their incomparably fine values when placed side by side with our men – who have ruined and are still ruining our land and country.

I received calls and messages from diverse sources which characteristically applauded the column. A frontline woman-politician from the Warri axis who is currently in Abuja trying to seize and define her political destiny and that of her fellow women-politicians rained forth her thoughts in profusion. Her thoughts confounded me. Her revelations concussed my creative charm and journalistic dream. I am keeping her revelations in abeyance.

I am instead yielding space here now to two of the ardent readers and followers of this column week by week. The first one who exalts this column as anything really lovable should be exalted is a journalist and fellow columnist from the Vanguard stable: Tony Eluemunor is his name. The second one is a Professor of Agriculture at Ambrose Alli University who has told me numberless times that he can never relinquish my column from his diet and palate. His name: Agharese Osifo.

Let me quote Elemunor’s lines:
“When next you see Ogboni people marching (I saw that sight in Warri in ’87 or ’88 when I went to interview the Olu of Warri), check the gender difference. In the Ogboni procession, I saw in Warri, the men outnumbered the women. I’ve seen a gathering of student cultists a few times and males outnumbered females there. Our parties resemble Ogboni-like societies and cult groups.

“Most of all, the Nordic countries have some traits you can’t find in the US, Japan, India or Russia. Their welfare, crime-free, peaceable, environmentally-aware societies, had been on the move, since the ‘60s and ‘70s, towards gender equality.

“But here in Nigeria? In some societies, women are not even allowed to break cola-nut. By the way, which Nigerian town (or ethnic group) has a Queen instead of a King? But we all know about Queen Victoria and Elizabeth (I and II) and the historic Russian Queen, too.

“By the way, has the Islamic World produced a female president? Nigeria is said to be 50% Muslim.”
And here are Agharese Osifo’s lines:

“Our women, in the core northern part(s), are locked out of the political arena, in the “kuleh’ or ‘purdah’ system and there are usually a minimum of a harem of four women to one political gladiator. In the Christian dominant southern and middle belts, our women are in the farms, construction sites, open markets, unhygienic foods ready joints and (several) energy-sapping places, including vocational centres of drudgery in the endeavour to add value to the family income.

“They are consequently shut out of the political recruitment process. The few, less than twenty percent of the political overlords, are never allowed to use the ropes of the masochist male folks to get the core and visible positions of relevance.

“Emancipation and redemption will come only when Nigeria adopts the UN affirmation of giving the female gender a minimum of thirty-five percent of political appointments as is already in practice in Rwanda, South Africa, Finland, Canada, USA, Germany, etc. Nigeria needs to embrace the UN affirmative action in order to enable our women to have a voice as our women are the vessel through which the entire humankind is reproduced. Until we adopt this mindset, we shall continue to wallow in perpetual under-development.

Since women are fifty percent of the population, giving them thirty-five percent of political appointments is not too much for equity reason. This denial of adequately representing the female gender constituency is a major culprit in the overall development of Nigeria and other third world countries.”

My two quoted readers intoxicate me thrillingly. Our women should also applaud the compelling spell of what they render with pleasurable pleasure devoid of full perplexity. They should daydream and brace up for the coming reality, and over-take their female counterparts from Nordic Finland, for example, as said previously, as we endeavor to achieve “gender equality.”

Our men politicians, each one of them, of keen sensibility should yield themselves over to the instigations of our day-dreaming which will conjure the conjuration of the near future the measured grace of our female political helmspersons in our landscape of cherished female values. It will happen. Our political male-chauvinists can do nothing about it. They cannot no matter how hard they try. Many readers outside the two referred to (and quoted) here share what I am re-sharing with you all. The time is drawing nigh.

Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.