By Hamzat Lawal We live in a world that is transforming, where norms are disrupted at the speed of light. However, a dimension of disruption that I still look forward to is the transfer of presidential power to the womenfolk. For centuries now, we have lived with the paradox of ‘Man-Power’ on this planet. There have been successes recorded in leaps and bounds but we must admit that things have also fallen apart. More than 10 million people die of hunger every year; poverty, gender inequality and now the climate crises are some of the toughest issues we tackle daily in a world where we celebrate technology advancements. Men have been at the forefront of combating these global issues, with the support of women, of course. However, a disruption that must not be delayed any longer is one where a woman is given the opportunity to take the reins of highest power, especially in Africa where talks of a woman President are rare and deemed unacceptable. Women may be seen as the softer gender but they are powerful beyond our imaginations. This is why I strongly believe that women must be given the opportunity to hold absolute leadership positions such as the Presidency. Now is the time to not only work for a change of narrative in women leadership, but to also embrace the change when it comes. I must mention that the relevance and value of the Nigerian woman is not up for debate. The feminine gender has blazed the trail in every sector – in business, education innovation, civil society, the new “green industry” (renewable energy) and even the entertainment industry is abuzz with their prowess. However, one sector that continues to witness a dearth of women leadership is the political sector. Over the years, thousands of women have played pivotal roles in electing men into political offices, while voting in a handful of women. To put things in perspective, in the last Nigerian general elections, women accounted for over 40 million registered voters, making up about 47.14 percent of the total eligible voters, yet women were poorly represented in politics. From my experience as a social accountability activist, I have not witnessed anything trickier than allowing a previously marginalized class into an enclosed political niche. My colleagues and I ran the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign and I came face to face with entrenched biases nurtured over the years, which have festered into a gangrene that now threatens national growth and development. The campaign, however, was successful.  In hindsight, I am convinced that we could break the glass ceiling by embracing the reality that both men and women can drive the call for a female president of Nigeria. Call it #NotTooFeminineToRun or #HelpWomenWin, the woman must stand up, organize and strategize, before she can buck the trend. To be fair, women have often struggled for leadership roles in a male-dominated world. They have to deal with challenges that are beyond their control such as patriarchy and deeply-rooted traditions and social conditioning that insist women play second fiddle. While I call on women to arise, I acknowledge that men must also give unflinching support to women’s cause. There are so many examples of women leaders across the globe who have thrived and built their countries. Nigeria must not be left behind but must aboard this ship. Nigeria is a beacon of hope in Africa, yet 61 years after independence, we cannot boast of a woman occupying either the presidency or any other high political office. While the country is known to be a culturally diverse, modern and cosmopolitan African nation, we are still backward in terms of gender equity. The last National Convention of the main opposition political party, the People’s Democracy Party (PDP), was an epic example. Of all the twenty-one National Working Committee seats in the PDP, only one was won by a woman–the Women Leader seat. This means that in practical terms, no seat was conceded to a woman as the women leader’s seat was typical. It is time to vote women into elective offices where they can make real changes, including the office of the President of Nigeria. There are exemplary women in leadership who have blazed exceptional trails and are presidential materials in their own right.  It was under Okonjo-Iweala’s tenure as two-time Finance Minister that Nigeria became the biggest economy in Africa. She is now at the helm of affairs at the World Trade Organization (WTO), elected at the right time to move forward an institution that was beset with huge challenges as the global community struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Amina J. Mohammed, now the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, led the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) interventions in Nigeria, and also rallied stakeholders for building the post-2015 infrastructure for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mechanism. The glass ceiling is not easy to crack, though. In the United States of America, Hillary Clinton nearly made history when she almost clinched the highest office in 2016. She was treading the path paved by female presidential aspirants before her such as Margaret Chase Smith, 1964; Shirley Chisholm, 1972; Patricia Schroeder, 1988; Elizabeth Dole, 2000; Carol Moseley Braun, 2004. We must not lose sight of the goal and must find a way to liberate women for crucial seats in politics, including the presidency. However, the strategy can be like that of the #NotTooYoungToRun (the Age Reduction Act), which was actually a legislative reform aimed at amending the constitution to accommodate young people in elective offices. It was led by young people from different fields with different capacities, strengths and resources. They were resilient and would not be distracted. By the time the bills were presented in the Senate and at the House of Representatives, the movement had already engaged the legislators at the state levels. Young people drove this initiative because it was in their interest. Now, for us to have a Madam President, women need to come together too. We can take … Continue reading Waiting for Nigeria’s Madam President