The August Meeting: Another Pathway To Women's Political Renaissance

By Prof. Kathleen Okafor, SAN
Over the years particularly since the Beijing Conference of September 1995, women generally have been asking for their right to equal opportunity so much so that about 17,000 participants and 36,000 activists worldwide participated in the epoch-making conference 30 years ago.
Already, there is a plethora of women movements and various civil societies pursuing equal opportunities for women pre and post Beijing. The General Assembly of the United Nations approved and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, since 1948.
The declarations essentially synchronise with Natural Laws which are even higher than the positive laws and declarations. According to the great philosopher Thomas Aquinas, men and women are subject to natural rights. Unfortunately, harsh micro-economic headwinds and the current universal lean years, exacerbated by wars have diminished the perseverance, hope and confidence for a more egalitarian world order.
In the last few weeks, most women belonging to town unions at home and abroad in the South East and beyond have been preparing for the August meeting. The preparations have ranged from transportation, feeding, cultural dance rehearsals, march pasts, prayers, etc.
Enugwu-Ukwu women in Abuja have also gathered at the house of our Union President Iyom Uche, Akunwata’s wife, for intensive dance rehearsals, which most surprisingly were taught by two male dance teachers.
Nevertheless, our women groups have taken up the responsibility for our own empowerment. However, many of our women and their leaders, most regrettably, still do not know of any provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the Grund norm, especially how it can empower them or how it affects their basic core responsibilities, entitlements, or social contract.
A citizen of Nigeria is guaranteed the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex etc. More particularly, they are also not aware of the Rule of Law or Fundamental Human Rights, or the impediments to their participation in socio-economic activities. Empowerment does not automatically translate to emancipation or enhanced capacity for equal opportunity of engagement.
Rather, empowerment financially needs altitudinal changes, financial literacy, and above all integrity to be more functional.
I perused the agenda of one of the August Meetings which only contained substantive issues like dance competitions, need for unity, entertainment, prayers, visits to traditional rulers and fund raising. The role of women in security intelligence, provision of mechanical agricultural work and community land ownership was not mentioned.
The question is, how can one wish for something when she does not know how to get it? The crux of the moment is that the Agenda for the August meetings must also include modern pedagogical methods and skills impartation especially for corporate and political participation, as well as particular simulations on how women can win nominations, conduct election campaigns, attract political financing, attract election petition expenses.
Moving forward, the following important materials are needed for August meetings and women’s gathering: The Nigerian Constitution, particularly Chapter 2 thereof on the fundamental principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunity.

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW.

Judicial interventions on women’s inheritance and co-ownership of family resources e.g Mojekwu v Mojekwu (1977) 7 NWLR (PT 512) 283 ; Ukeje v Ukeje (2014) 11 NWLR (PT 1418) 384. These cases infer that, without financial resources and family inheritance, there can be no effective empowerment.

The African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

Bi-annual Reports on women and children who have dropped out of school, and the creches needed. The Analysis of the trend and remedial action taken.
Details of young boys between 17-30 who have no means of livelihood and who dropped out of school in the community.
Incidents of deprivation and confiscation of family inheritance as well as breaches of Rights of Ingress to and Egress from family houses of widows, divorcees, unmarried women etc.
Reports on State and Federal Government Agencies’ allocations of commonwealth lands, housing and supply contracts. At least 20% of the commonwealth of lands, market stalls, government supplies should be allotted to women to enhance funding and business opportunities for women participation in SMES and MSMES in the national economy.
Database and quarterly progress reports on incidents of domestic violence are needed to mitigate incidents of many women taking the Law into their hands.
Fundraising for short-term accommodation of women who suffer violence should be provided to protect them or their children from psychological trauma, another drain on our national resources.
In summary, the former World Bank Chief, Mr. David Malpass, recently announced that Nigeria’s per capita income stands at roughly $1,500 per annum, that is, about $4 per day.
He further revealed that the median income was lower because wealth is disproportionately concentrated among a small segment of the population. Mostly men especially political have-beens and political wannabes. The concomitant of our history of feudal absolutism and endemic corruption is the emasculation of women.
Nigeria needs women, at all levels, to address trading opportunities, agricultural development (especially land ownership not only through primogeniture inheritance), socio-economic reforms and to achieve the economic renaissance of Nigeria.
Before the August meeting winds up the next week, and also thereafter, these issues should be put on the agenda. The women’s meeting should no longer be rhetorical for jamboree and fashion display.
Many professional women who attend the August meeting will certainly be motivated to fund us more if we display a more businesslike approach, with actual and quantitative metrics. August meetings need the presence of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Benedikter Molokwu, Aisha Yesufu, Amina Ibrahim, Stella Okoli, Dame Winifred Akpani, and other prominent female bankers for strategy and cash backing. 

WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL GOVERNANCE

Statistically, women currently occupy only 5.4% of the seats in the Nigerian State Houses of Assembly.
At the National level, women occupy only 20 seats out of 469 seats in the National Assembly. This monumental exclusivity of women can be better understood if it is seen that since 1999, the budget of the National Assembly increased from 2.2 billion Naira to 344.8 billion Naira. An increase of 15,000% or over 500% per annum since 1999. Sadly, women’s participation has rather been decreasing astronomically and exponentially in the platform of humungous resource distribution.
By this exclusivity, Nigeria experiences serious under-utilization of talents, loss of diverse initiatives and skills which women are known for but more importantly the critical added-value to foreign loans, programmes, and socio-economic development policies by government are not actualised.
A look at percentages of women in upper chambers of Sub-Saharan African Parliaments shows better ranking than Nigeria: Rwanda- 63.8%, Namibia- 50%, Somalia- 25%, Ethiopia- 29.7%, Zimbabwe- 49.3%, South Africa- 45%, while Nigeria is at 3.9%. With power and money concentrated in men, who are mainly political jobbers, serial philanderers, capitalists without capital or business outfits, certificate holders without knowledge, we are witnessing a form of petty bourgeoisie socialism which the popular French socialist expresses this opinion lays bare the hypocritical apologies of Nigerian political class. This is a retrogression to inevitable ruin of the petty bourgeoisie and misery of the multitude of the proletariat; the violent results are already ubiquitous.
These alarming demographic disequilibrium and irregularities in the distribution of wealth also results in dissolution of old moral and family bonds because capital is not just a personal power but a social power.
Without a renaissance collaborated by women, the bourgeoisie will continue to find itself in a constant battle inter se which may only be less violent and more civil if women join the political battle. The 1929 Aba Uprising by women remains a historical blueprint and turning point as regards the political capability of women who are united against injustice.
By December again, many women will be celebrating Christmas. Many will travel home. We should not miss the opportunity to take a far reaching and urgent critical role in repositioning women and their votes before the forthcoming elections. The agenda for the December meeting should be better enriched for the necessary renaissance of the Nigerian political-economic system.

Okafor, is Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, was the immediate VC, Baze University, Abuja. She writes from Maitama, in Abuja.