By Ruth Oginyi
Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna is the first female Professor of Mass Communication in Nigeria and the entire Sub-Saharan Africa. She is currently the Deputy Vice-chancellor (Academic), Paul University, a faith-based University in Awka, Anambra state.
For a long time, she taught at Nnamdi Azikiwe, University (Unizik) Awka. But between 2006 and 2014, Okunna took a leave of absence from Nnamdi Azikiwe University to serve in Anambra State Government, beginning as the Commissioner for Information and Culture.
Thereafter, she was appointed to serve as the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget and Coordinating Commissioner for Development Partnership/Donor Agencies (2009–2014). While still working as a Commissioner, she was also Chief of Staff to Governor Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate in the just concluded 2023 general elections.
Prof Okunna who spoke to The Women News on the need for government at all levels to make gender laws and policies that will encourage women to run for elective or get appointive positions in governance further disclosed that culture, religion, and financial challenges have made some women who are interested in politics to shy away.
“As long as I can remember, women’s participation in politics and visibility in leadership positions have been major problems in many countries and not just in Nigeria. The entire world knows that women have not done well in politics in Nigeria. I’m sure you know there is supposed to be a gender policy in Nigeria which came to effect in 2006; affirmative action of 35%. The only time any leader approached that policy was the time of Jonathan’s regime and since then nobody is even trying and each time I think about women in politics and leadership, I like to give example from my own State, Anambra State. Anambra women are well educated, they are empowered. They are confident and knowledgeable about local and international affairs. Yet the number of women in politics in Anambra is laughable, so to say.
“There was a time we thought we were improving. Before this last election, Anambra had two female Senators which was very good. There are usually three senators per state and women had two. But in the last election those two women lost their positions and so there is no single woman at that level now in Anambra state. In the House of Assembly, there was only one woman and the last election did not improve the situation.
“Women are handicapped when it comes to politics and part of the handicap is religion and culture. I don’t think any culture in Nigeria encourages women in this regard. May be Yoruba culture; but even then, most of our culture and religion in Nigeria don’t believe women should be in politics. Even up till today 2023, many men think women should not be in politics. If any woman wants to go into politics they shout: What is she going to do there?
“Many people see women politicians as wayward, irresponsible which is terrible; and that belief even among the educated men in Nigeria is still common. Many men will not encourage their wives and even their daughters to go into politics and that is a major handicap. So both before and after the last election, I’m disappointed. I’m even heartbroken. There are two ways women can go into politics. Either by election or through appointment. In many states like my own, the governors do not appoint enough women and there are capable women. Suppose women don’t have the courage or the finances to go into elections, don’t they have the capacity or the brains to be appointed by governors or by the president to support them through appointive positions? So, whether it is through elective processes or through appointment, the number of Nigerian women in politics and leadership positions has not been impressive.
“I think some smaller African countries are small in quotes because we keep claiming we are the giant of Africa yet marginalization is very high here. Look at Rwanda which suffered so much recently. They have bounced back and women are doing very well there. This is because they are supporting women through inclusive policies and laws but when we make our laws like affirmative action nobody is implementing them. In these African countries like Rwanda, I mentioned, Kenya, and others, they make these laws and implement them. Rwanda has 40-something percent women inclusion in governance and yet we claim we are the giant of Africa.
Nigeria has to take definite measures to encourage women to go into leadership positions in government and other spheres of life. It is long overdue. The “Agora Policy” report which came out in December 2022 is right when it states—You are punishing yourself as a nation if you don’t have inclusive policies and strategies to make sure women play a vital role in governance and leadership. It is not the women that are losing. Yes, women are losing because they are being excluded but the nation is losing more because national development is stunted. Inclusion brings national development because when women come in, they contribute meaningfully to development. If you keep marginalizing them, the ultimate loser is the nation in terms of national development.
On if she is satisfied with the number of women elected into positions in the last election the Professor said, “as long as elective positions are concerned, not many women were elected. The culture and religion have so intimidated women it takes a lot of courage for them to go into Nigerian politics. Nigerian politics is discouraging, so to say. But for those who run, there is also discrimination from fellow women. There is a combination of factors why women shy away from politics. Cultural, religious, financial, and women themselves are part of it.
“Sometimes when women come out, others think they should not be in politics. They prefer to vote for their male counterparts rather than to vote for a fellow woman. But I think whatever the challenge is, women who are interested in politics should summon the courage to venture into it fully.”
To address the issue holistically, Prof Okuna said male leaders should appoint more women into positions of power.
“A woman I believe will do better in laws that will benefit women because she understands what marginalization should be. Men should sit up to make more appointments for women and women should strive harder to go into elective positions.
“Male rulers of the land must implement any policy already made to achieve inclusion for women. For me, what comes to my mind is gender policy. We are not asking for much. What women are asking for is not equality. Sometimes when you ask for women’s empowerment, they say: Ahahaaaaa, Feminism!!! We are not asking for equality. Equality is 50-50. In Affirmative action and the gender policy, it is 35%. It is about 1/3 and I don’t think it is too much.
“Do you remember the gender bills that were proposed recently? All of them were dropped; none of them were passed. I used to say I don’t believe in tokenism or quota system but it seems ideal in Nigeria now and women need encouragement and support through the quota system or policies to include them in governance or leadership.”
