Some insight has been provided into President Muhammadu
Buhari’s aversion for women and the low number of female appointments
since he assumed office, with his Senior Special Assistant, Political
Matters, Mr. Gideon Samani, disclosing that the president did not
include many women in his cabinet because he is “very shy dealing with
the opposite sex”.
Samani, who spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the
fifth annual lecture series organised by the Change We Need in Nigeria
group, said Buhari was used to interacting with men, but added quickly
that the issue of gender inequality would be addressed by the president.
His
statement contrasted with that of a ministerial nominee from Kogi
State, Mr. James Ocholi (SAN), who in defence of the low representation
of women in the federal cabinet, told the Senate on Thursday that Buhari
had brought women into prominence, including the late Prof. Dora
Akunyili.
According to Samani, “If you are close to Mr.
President, you will know that he has the interest of the nation as his
uppermost priority. He did not intentionally marginalise women.
“It
is just that Mr. President is shy with women. He has been interacting
mostly with men. I can assure you that in the shortest time, this issue
of gender inequality will be dealt with.”
Samani, who was once a
Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and represented the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal at the
event, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the last election
to the All Progressives Congress (APC) due to insecurity, economic
challenges and corruption in high places, thereby forcing the people to
seek for change.
“The change we seek is real and not mere rhetoric.
People must feel it, touch it, and experience it across the different
strata of our society – in schools, churches, market places and at all
our duty posts.
“It is not going to be business as usual. Many
guilty Nigerians, of their own accord, have fled the country. Our public
institutions are now working.
“The availability of fuel and the
generation and distribution of power have improved ever since. All hands
must be on deck for all of us to be these agents of change,” he stated.
Speaking
at the event, Senator Chris Anyanwu expressed disappointment with the
appointments made so far by the president, stating that despite the fact
that the number one citizen benefitted immensely from female voters, he
has relegated them to the background.
She noted that so far, no
woman from the South-east had been given a political appointment and
that even the numbers of women in Buhari’s government is a far cry from
what obtains worldwide.
“Mr. President has benefitted so much
from us. We don’t expect him to draw us back. Women are able and strong
to move this nation forward. Anything you do, you should know that the
whole world is watching you.
“So far, women have been
marginalised. No woman from the east has been given a political
appointment and the ones he did were a far cry to what is obtainable
anywhere in the world.
“We talk of change but we are afraid of
the change. We have moved from the era where women clapped and danced
for male politicians. President Buhari should be gender sensitive. He
should open the door and let women rise up to their full potential,” she
said.
The senator added that gender equality should begin with parents by treating their children equally.