Buhari opens up on appointing only female finance ministers
Outgoing Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari has said that he made a shrewd decision by appointing female finance ministers in his administration.
With its 8-year lifespan remaining only six days before a new president takes over, the Buhari-led government has so far appointed two females as finance ministers—Kemi Adeosun, Zainab Akali.
According to President Buhari while speaking at the commissioning of the N19.6bn newly built headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service, he appointed female ministers knowing how difficult it would be for the men to lobby and compromise them.
He said, “I made sure I gave Ministers of Finance to ladies because of the cultural behaviours of Nigerians.
“Once ladies are in charge people feel too big to go to ladies. So, I am sure things will not be the same in the Ministry of Finance where people go and start lobbying for their contract to be paid so they will feel too big to go to a lady. So I make sure a lady is in charge. That gave me a lot of peace.”
TheCornet reports that Nigeria has recorded intangible progress in closing the apparent widening gender disparity in political representation.
This notwithstanding the little gains with the election or appointment of females as deputy governors, ministers, house of representatives’ speaker, and heads of parastatals at different political epochs.
It had taken the first lady, Aisha Buhari, and Dolapo, the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to lobby for greater women representation in the parliament. But despite their pleas, a concessionary bill aimed at seeing more women in political positions has remained stillbirth.
