General Buhari stated yesterday in an interview with Weekly Trust that
if elected as president in next year's presidential election, he would
abolish the office of the First Lady. The office, though not
constitutionally recognized, has been maintained by past and present
administrations and is even seen as being key in policy decisions. He
said that ministries, which are constitutional, should be allowed to
play their roles instead.
"There is the Ministry of Women Affairs, and so on. I was raised by my
mother, as I lost my father when I was under 6 yars, so I know what a
woman can do if given the chance".
In a subtle way of replying Buhari's comments, First Lady Dame
Patience Jonathan, emphasized the importance of the office of the
First Lady in the Nigerian politics, saying that the office has been
an avenue for mobilizing women for mass participation in politics.
She said this in Abia state during a reception organized for her by
the Ohuhu community, her maternal home in Umuahia North Local
Government Area of Abia state, yesterday.
She said the bid by politicians from the opposition camp to scrap the
office of the First Lady would amount to sending the Nigerian women
back to the kitchen if such came to fruition, adding,
"It is not our portion to go back to the kitchen. We have women that
are capable. We can contribute our quota to the development of
Nigeria".
She also told the women not to vote for any politician who doesn't
respect women.
The First Lady had veered off from the address she was reading at the
occasion when she directed the attention of guests to Buhari's idea
which she said was not practicable in the ongoing political
dispensation because of the critical role women have been playing in
politics.
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