Oshiomhole, Fashola Drum Support For Female Presidency

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

The African Examiner,

Governor of Edo State, Adam Oshiomhole and his Lagos counterpart, Babatunde Fashola have begun campaign for female presidency for Nigeria as the male presidents in the last 53 years have failed.

Edo state governor Adams Oshiomhole

The duo spoke at the 13th National Women Conference (NWC) with the theme: “See Beyond Today: Enhance the Quality of Life,” organized by the Committee Of Wives Of Lagos

State Officials (COWLSO) at the Eko Hotels and Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, saying that the male leaders in every sector in the country had failed.

“When women begin to organize conferences with a theme like ‘enhance the quality of life,’ it is an indication that men leadership in the country is confused. Since the men are not doing it right, the country should try female leadership. We should create a level playing ground where both men and women will thrive.”

According to Oshiomhole, it was time Nigeria deliberate to have a female president at the helms of affairs in the midst of absolute failure by the male counterpart who had been ruling the nation since 1960.

He said the feat achieved by the late former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher had not be rivaled till this moment, saying that the woman was able to take Britain to an enviable height.

“There are evidences around the world where women have led. There is no question in my mind that we need to create a level playing field for the women,” he stated.

He lamented the nation’s leaders had failed and that after 53 years of independence and 100 years of amalgamation, the nation was still talking about basic amenities such as power and good healthcare.

“We should stop lamenting that many people are out of work and let us start doing something to engage them. Not many people are happy concerning the issues in the country today, unless those benefiting from the pathetic situation,” he stated.

The Edo governor also said he was not interested in a national dialogue where tribe and ethnic issues would be discussed, arguing that rather, the vision of the founding fathers of the country should be followed.

“Our founding fathers had a vision on how they wanted Nigeria to be. “There were economic competition those days when days when our fathers founded the country. What happened? What did the military leaders and successive leaders did wrong that we must not do. I just see Nigeria going in circles,” he said.

Oshiomhole urged the women to focus their attention on raising morally stable children, stressing that most of the crimes committed in the country were committed by the privileged in the society.

He stated that going by his experience, poverty was not the main cause of crime in the country and that “if we stop stealing and other vices that have retrogressed the country, nothing can happen. As mothers, we should not neglect our responsibility to teach the young ones. If we fail in this, we might not have any future,” he said.

On his part, Fashola said there was the need for women to take over the leadership of this nation as they had shown that they could be better leaders more than the male folk.

“We are waiting for the women to take over. Our world will be better if women take over. The best emerging economy today in the world is being driven by women. The women have been there with me in my government,” he said.

Fashola further spoke on the need to control the growing population of the nation, in the midst of pervading and rising cases of hunger in the land, saying that statistics had it that two-third of the world’s seven billion population lived in abject poverty and that Nigerian women had the power to control the rising population of the nation.

“Can we consciously start slowing down the way we grow our population? If two-third already lives in poverty, what chance for those coming after us if we are already in poverty?” He asked.

“People are shy discussing this issue; the earlier we talk about it, the better. In 1970, the population of London was 8.5 million while Lagos was then 1.4 million. Today, London has dropped about one million population while Lagos has gone up to reach about 20 million. We can march out of poverty if we plan well.”