Buhari Criticized Over Plans To Attack First Lady’s Office

A Canada-based gender rights activist, Chioma Ikejiani, has criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), following his decision to scrap the Office of the First Lady if elected president.

Speaking with ThisDay on Wednesday in Abuja, the Canada based activist, who is leading a protests against the planned move, urged Nigerian women to rise against the former the military Head of State.
Ikejiani pointed out that if Buhari should scale through with the decision, the action would put an end to the development of women once the Office of the First Lady seize to exist.

It would be recalled that Buhari had in a campaign talk, hinted that he would abolish the first lady’s office when he becomes Nigeria’s President.

Ikejiani, who also publishes a gender-based international magazine, AMOI, said Buhari’s stand was against the development of the Nigerian women who have received appreciable attention under the current dispensation, adding that what the former head of state intends to achieve with his position on women, was to return the Nigerian woman to a situation likeable to what the Taliban did to women in Afghanistan.

Ikejiani, who is in Abuja to promote her forthcoming magazine, which is dedicated to gender empowerment in Nigeria, said Nigerian women have sacrificed so much to get to where they are today and should rather ask for greater representation in their governance rather than being cut short by a sexist who has vowed not to carry them along.

The activist further stated that with the 35 per cent positive action, Nigerian women had gotten affirmative acclaim and also occupied positions of trust with the office of first lady being a rallying point for their concern and welfare.

Ikejiani also argued that Buhari’s backgrounds as a military dictator whose first outing as head of state did not recognise women makes it more important for women to protest against him in order to protect their interest.

“You know, as military head of state, he did not consider women to be of any value in the governance project. It took his successor, General Ibrahim Babangida, to recognise the important role women play in governance and development. Therefore, his promise to do away with the office of first lady is a promise that should worry our women. They should rise and make sure that promise dies and not come to pass, because if it does, our women will be returned to the dark age where they are seen as better off in the kitchen.

“In the last 16 years of the practice of democracy, Nigerian women have risen to even become Chief Justice of Nigeria. At the moment, a woman is the President of the Court of Appeal. Women also head several sensitive government agencies and concerns. That is a success story for the Nigerian woman. It is a story that will challenge the girl child to aspire to greater things. I am certain that story would have been different had women not been galvanized for empowerment through office of first lady. It is therefore imperative that Nigerian women rise up for their rights, demand an apology from Buhari and refuse to be subjugated to the kitchen which his promise implies,” she maintained.

Ikejiani also called on Nigerian women to speak out loud through their voting power.

Meanwhile, Buhari has also promised Nigerians that he will send all corrupt politicians to jail when elected President in February general elections.

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