Edeson Online News: EDESON VIEWPOINT: Emergence of Theresa May as British PM: A Call for Affirmative Action for Nigerian Women in Politics

Wednesday 13 July 2016

EDESON VIEWPOINT: Emergence of Theresa May as British PM: A Call for Affirmative Action for Nigerian Women in Politics

The British Prime Minister is to Parliamentary System of Government as the President of Nigeria is to the Presidential System of government. The office of the Prime Minister in Parliamentary System of government
is equivalent to that of Presidential System of government. Therefore, it won’t be out of place if we refer the newly elected British Prime Minister, Theresa May as the British President.

“It should be noted that some countries run a semi-presidential system which a president exists along with a prime minister. In Semi-Presidential System, the President is the Head of state while Prime Minister the Head of Government. The fight for power can force a country to dive into Semi-Presidential System. Like the case of Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe agreed on a power sharing, allowed Morgan Tsvangirai to be the Prime Minister to end crisis between them in 2008 presidential election as Tsvangirai claimed he won the election”

Though, Nigerian women are beginning to cut their teeth in national affairs, but have not reached international threshold of affirmative action. Theresa May, today, emerged British second female Prime Minister (President) after Margret Thatcher. Since Nigeria gained Independence from Britain in 1960, no woman president has been recorded, the few that contested lost woefully.
Democracy without Equal Gender Representation is not consolidated. There are Nigerian women who are qualified to be the president, they are: Sarah Jubril, Oluremi Sonaiya, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala , Patience Jonathan, to mention but a few.

Many civilized Foreign and African countries are drastically embracing Gender Equality in leadership. The current Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff is a woman, America may likely have First woman president if Hillary Clinton wins 2016 elections, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a woman, the present President of Liberia since 2006, and the list is “endless”.

One of the major reasons why women politicians have not emerged president in Nigeria is the lack of support by their fellow women. I was surprised when a lady told me she can never vote for a woman president in Nigeria. It was regrettable and “laughable” that Sarah Jubril got only ONE VOTE during 2011 PDP presidential primaries, the question then is, are there no women to vote for her?

Theresa Mary May is the talk of the world right now. She became Prime Minister today after David Cameron resigned on June 2016. Theresa May announced her candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party and quickly emerged as the front-runner. When will it be this simple for Nigerian women to quickly emerge as president?
(ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Endy Edeson)

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