Ada Agina-Udeh's life revolves around women because her aim is to be a change agent for our society. As the Executive Director of Gender and Development Action (GADA), she is not only a frontline gender activist but also a force to reckon with when it comes to female political participation. She told Daily Sun recently that ignorance is the worst enemy of women in all sphere of life.
Excerpts:
After many years of women advocacy, what do you wish you would have done differently?
Nothing. I have addressed each problem as best I could, within the circumstances prevalent at the time and the resources available.
How would you describe the role of women in our society politically?
Our society has undergone changes. Before colonialism, women had their places in the decision–making structures of the various groups that eventually made-up Nigeria. There might not have been equal representation, but the system ensured that women’s voice was heard. In some places, there were women leaders, in others women were among the high ranking chiefs. There are also instances of kingdoms that were ruled by women at one time or the other just as women served as regents in several places. Such structures continue to exist in a good number of our communities but with limited impact on the overall Nigerian society.
Today, in principle, there is no difference between political roles of men and women in this country. The Nigerian constitution guarantees the freedom of citizens, irrespective of their sex, to participate in politics and vie for public office. There are no boundaries as to the office a man or a woman should occupy provided the person meets the other conditions such as age and educational attainment, and of course has not been convicted for crime. So, the role of any politician, man or woman, is to contribute in whatever way they can, and especially through their constitutional functions, to the security and welfare of Nigerians. However, the political environment in this country has not been women friendly, and the result is that only very few women have had the opportunity to play these roles especially at the higher levels of political participation which include holding party and government office.
What changes do we need in our political terrain to make it more attractive to women?
The first thing is to ensure that political parties are entirely democratic in their practices. Most women aspirants have unpleasant stories about how the dictatorial tendencies of party leadership deprived them of their hard won victories at the primaries or even denied them the chance to contest. Women politicians have other problems but none is as painful as being asked to step down for a less popular aspirant for whatever reason. Quite often, there is no reason other than the fear that the woman may not make returns to the powers that be. When being asked to step down the woman is promised appointment which more often than not does not come her way in the end.
This is one of the reasons we keep calling for the introduction of special measures that would guarantee that women form a certain percent of party executives and that at least 35 per cent of candidates are women. Affirmative action which is usually intended to reduce disparities between the various components of society is provided for in the constitution as the Federal Character principle. It is also in the National Gender Policy but political parties only mouth it and do nothing to implement it. We believe that the solution is to legislate on it by either spelling it out in the Constitution or making it part of the Electoral Act. Indeed the Justice Uwais Committee on Electoral Reforms recommended it in 2009 but the white paper rejected it. Unfortunately, without Affirmative Action, Nigeria will not attain gender parity in elective office in the near future.
There's this saying that women are their worst enemies, do you believe that?
No. Their worst enemy is ignorance. The day a woman understands why she instinctively becomes hostile to her fellow woman, that will be her day of liberation. It’s all about gender relationships versus societal expectations. A woman’s worth is supposed to be measured by her ability to attract and retain a man. The female who was socialized into buying this dummy tends to regard every other female as a rival. It’s mostly unconscious and needless competition created by society. The day most women realize that their individual and collective interests would be served best by giving support to one another is the day half of their cultural and social problems would be solved.
Do you think women have what it takes to be in position of leadership in this country?
Absolutely. Women who have had the chance to occupy leadership positions have proved their mettle, and examples abound in both the private and public sectors. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will always be remembered for appointing women into important positions. They performed creditably and helped to break some of the myths about what women can do and what they can’t do. It’s all about the individual not sex. We must admit that some men are lousy as leaders, and the fact that we have had mostly male leaders probably explains why Nigeria is not making as much progress as she ought to.
What is your advice to young and aspiring women who want to come into politics?
They should go for it but also make sure that they have the educational qualification for the post they are aspiring to occupy. A constitutional requirement is that they should join a party, and they can if they are up to 18 years. They should make themselves relevant in the party by their contributions which do not have to be financial. For instance, she can become formidable in programming or fund-raising activities, and she also needs to be visible at least in her constituency. No woman politician should entirely depend on her relationship with any other member of the party because that alone cannot take her far if she has nothing else to offer.
How best can women harness their God-given potentials?
Education is basic and information is equally important. These two help to expand one’s capabilities and functioning and thereby enlarge the person’s choices. But also the society must be rid of all forms of discrimination against women because discrimination creates restrictions and barriers. Women and girls should be free to do whatever they want to do in their lives provided such pursuits are legitimate.
What have you been able to achieve with your position in GADA?
When I set out on this path, my aim was to be a change agent for our society. The process of changing society is work in progress. It is hard to talk about achievements when many of the changes we expect have not taken place. The advocacy efforts of women’s groups, not just GADA have so far brought about improvements in some aspects of women’s lives but there is so much that needs to be done. One area of significant gain is in the visibility of women’s issues, and we are grateful to the media for that. But women’s rights are still violated, and violence against them is escalating instead of abetting. There is still little justice for the poor and vulnerable. The struggle continues.
How can the prevalent cases of violence against women in our society be tackled?
It is alarming and it is indicative of the breakdown of law and order in the society.
Parents must show good example while raising their children. Moral instructions are very important during the children’s formative years. It is not enough to take the children to church because people tend to create the impression these days that the church is where you go to ask God for material things; but at home parents must take time to teach the children not to do things to others that they would not permit on themselves. They should be made to know that truly that there must be serious repercussions for evil both in this world or thereafter. Nursery and Primary schools must be made to take moral instructions seriously, not just social studies.
What challenges do you face in GADA and how do you handle them?
There are no challenges specific to GADA. Generally, NGOs are increasingly finding it difficult to get funding for their programmes and projects owing to the state of the global economy. We are all trying to find alternative ways to finance our activities. Staff constantly leave for more financially rewarding jobs and it takes years to acquire the knowledge and experience needed for effective advocacy. We are also challenged to strengthen women’s perspectives in seeking solutions to national problems. That is one of the most important reasons we must increase women’s presence in governance and public decision making. At the moment, we are trying to introduce appropriate legal reforms, but it is quite challenging.
The greatest challenge is how to curb the increasing violations against women and girls especially in the face of seeming lack of co-operation from relevant authorities. We have been trying to involve the other half of society – boys and men- because if most of them come to realize that violence is not the best way to deal with issues, we would be making progress.
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•Agina-Udeh
Photo: Sun News Publishing |