Is Nigeria ready for a President of the feminine gender? She will be the country’s President and by virtue of its constitution be her Commander-in-Chief. So, what will it take a woman to attain the highest office in the land? Like a GI-Jane, a colloquial for a hardened female dedicated to military service, she must be willing to sacrifice work-life balance for a career. She will dispense with possession of husband, kids, and commitment to any man. What further sacrifices would she make? Are the public expectations of the office the same for the male and female gender?
Factors Aggravating Women Leadership
The issue of gender equity and leadership always set the mind abuzz with a lot of questions. This is not surprising for a country that is remorselessly patriarchal in nature and structure. In traditional Nigerian thinking, leadership is regarded as a divine right and the natural preserve of the male folk. Women have been positioned to play second fiddle as the men are ensconced on the driver’s seat in commerce, the occupations, village or community leadership, leadership and management of the esoteric institutions. Cultural bias, policy framework, legal framework and religion are critical issues that challengingly interrogate the basis of the leadership position of women.
Female Competency
“Today, several studies speak to the leadership qualities and abilities of women. As compared with age-long views that women are lacking in competency traits, women are today perceived as being as equally competent as their male counterparts. Today, women and men are thought to be equally intelligent, with women being regarded as possibly more grey matter. Women are also observed to have more compassion and many relevant social skills which can lead to great gains if harnessed” (qz.com, 2019). What then is preventing women from aspiring to the great office of our political community?
Military Prowess, a Necessity?
I once came across an opinion stating that “the limiting factors range from no background or experience in military operations and strategies, the woman lacks the necessary temperament for such office”. This was an opinion expressed with regard to the occupation of the office of the Commander-in-Chief by a woman. ‘How can she be commander-in-chief when she has never served in the military even for one day?’ Is another expressed opinion. Is this a prerequisite for this office? One would have thought that the possession of ‘the ability’ should over-ride other considerations.
Many wonder – are women able to make a hard call when needed? Do they know what it takes to order covert operations/engage in combats when necessary or command the country’s military? How good are women with Intelligence gathering? What about handling/solving issues of national security? You will be surprised to know women do have more muscles to wield having the right intelligence team in place. If over the years women have worked so hard to the point of being equally competent as men and even more competent; It should therefore not come as a surprise even as women aim for this office that we as a community can grow, develop, learn and improve to surmount the challenges of these lopsided views.
Is the Enlistment of Women in the Military, Militarily Inexpedient?
If lack of experience or limited knowledge in military tactics, operations and strategies pose a problem, how can this be resolved? During the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Nigerian Armed Forces shaped policies granting women to train as regular combatants. The policy may, however, have been abandoned as the Nigerian Airforce recently stopped the recruitment of female regular combatant officers and. “It is only the Regular Combatant Commission that can allow an officer the opportunity to aspire to head any of the services or rise to become the Chief of Defence Staff, while the others have limited career path …The Northern Muslim leaders want to prevent a situation where one day, a woman will lead… and give orders to men(see Eweniyi, 2017). The implication of such policy reversal, however, means that gender inequality would continue to persist; female officers’ aspiration to the highest possible office would remain a mirage. In another opinion on women in military leadership, it is queried: “…Women could be more brilliant than the men academically but when it comes to the rigour or the nature of the job is the physiology of the female in tandem with the job?” – an opinion which begs the question and does not provide any insightful answer.
Nigeria’s Political Clime
Do our blood-tainted elections characterised by victimisation, intimidation, godfatherism, violence and thuggery play any significant role in this inequality? As we clamour for gender equality, is there a possibility that certain portfolios by prerequisite, qualifications have been made unattainable for the female gender? What can be done to give the female sex a level playing field alongside the men in equal competition?
No doubt, it has been the male that established the institutions, formulated the laws and ideas governing them. This rules and conventions have been transferred from generation to generation. The men would go to any length – male sexualism, sexual violence, stereotype threats to retain and maintain hierarchy, power, dominance and position of strength. Nigeria’s polity is like a segmented labour market in which the strongest group dominates and creates hierarchy while the weak and non-competing groups in spite of their skills, capabilities have their upward access in the labour market limited. The male sex occupies the centre space while women are pushed to the periphery.
A Female Commander-in-Chief, the Way Forward?
Politics it is said is not for wimps. It entails a lot of sacrifices, patience and discipline. Whether women are ready for these is a moot point. Are women ready to endure criticisms, have many sleepless nights and make the necessary sacrifice? If women must attain that office they must do all it takes to get needed knowledge, exposure and experience? To get to that office tomorrow, the work starts today.
