ARE WE READY FOR A FEMALE PRESIDENT?

To say that a female president will be an unusual sight is to state the truth. But the question to ask includes - Is it a brilliant idea? Or Have we run out of options as a nation?

Well, I asked this questions on BBM, taking a cue from the lady that thought me to blog... Kerren Amaechi who by the way runs a lovely blog Kays Fittings which I think you should check out. She got this lovely suggestion for improving a blogs content through the journalistic approach. Well, I got very few significant responses and I will assume that majority of the people on my BBM contacts didn't respond because the possibility of a female president is so remote as to be near impossible. But the unusual happens sometimes doesn't it? And when it happens it challenges all our pre conceived stereo types. Let's consider a few unusuals in history.

1. The American nation: do you realize that nation is unlike any other on earth? Its not my favorite state in the world, the Jewish state is cos I'm kinda Zionist since my people believe we migrated from Jewish communities. To support that we often cite an innumerable number of cultural similarities which by the way is not the focus of this post, so we'll save that for another day. But let's just say that America being a nation of immigrants is an oddity! Which other nation in the world is a nation of immigrants. The closest is Australia but they owe allegiance to their home country Britain and the Queen sort of 'runs' the country. Odd countries I've just cited isn't it? Well they tried so many experiments and found out what works for them. Isn't it the beauty of being human, that we can keep inventing new options? Odd as they may seem?

2. A black American president: that's odd! Forget that we are now used to seeing a black man being addressed as president of the US but I was involved in a lot of arguments and I wrote quite a number of articles stating why I felt America wasn't ready for a black president? I felt America wasn't color blind and may never be. I felt America was a prejudiced society and in many ways it still is. But Obama felt he could and he did!

3. A female American president in the offing?:
Let me not go on and on this isn't a write up about America but ehmmm... I won't be surprised to see Hillary Rodham Clinton as america's next C in C.

Hmmm... You'd say. Remember that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf contested for Liberia's presidency and defeated George Opong Weah? Yes she actually did.

Well here's a brief history of how the unusual happened in liberia.

"...Sirleaf became Assistant Finance Minister in the administration of Liberian President William Tolbert. Her public criticism of administration policy, on occasions such as a commencement address at the College of West Africa, attracted national attention and created friction between Sirleaf and her superiors. In the mid-1970s Sirleaf left the Ministry to work for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., but she returned to Liberia in 1977 to serve as Deputy Finance Minister.

"... President Tolbert would later fire his Finance Minster and appoint Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to take his place; she was the first woman to hold this position in Liberia. As Finance Minister, she attempted a much-needed reform of the country's finances, but long-simmering tensions soon boiled over..."
Its a long story. Sounds similar to the Nigerian story? In a way it does!

Well, President Samuel Doe's government would after all these service to her nation, sentence her to 10 years imprisonment... President Charles Taylor even personally threatened that his administration will kill her for her outspokenness... Talk about not having good will. Some will say Sirleaf had none! But she braved all her critics. Didn't she?

Well only recently, Central African Republic after much turbulence has just now elected Africa's second female C in C ever. If Sirleaf proved to be the stabilizing factor the nation needed from 2005 till date after being traumatized by the Charles Taylor years, who says Catherine Sama Panza won't heal the wounds of a nation smarting from civil unrest and almost sliding into war in Central Africa? And who says Nigeria shouldn't try the option of having a female President?

Here are the responses I got from friends:

1. Majemite Esisi said... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO....... A very big NO

2. Royce Amaechi said... Nigeria is due for a white man to take over

3. Douglas Baye Osagie said... But you know how things work in Nigeria, the capitalists will just package their wives for the position

4. Pat just laughed!

5. Akpoghor Oghenevwegba said... Maybe Sarah Jibril #laughing

6. Ogonino Echefu Darlington said... Hahaha

7. And I wrote on facebook...

"Nigeria is due for her first female president. Honestly I'm willing to support any party that can guarantee that we get a female president. Any party which can ensure that, are the true progressives.

And that's because Africa just got another female president - Central African Republic's Catherine Sama Panza. Recall that Liberia had Africas first female president Earl Johnson Sirleaf

That's progressive thinking

Moreover, If there is anything progressive minds should find gratifying, it is women who excel in fields of male dominance because it means the barriers are closing down slowly but surely. Ruth Osime (This Day Style)

It also means that nobody is stopping women from maximizing their potential. They ought to go ahead and maximize their potential full blast. Men will never argue against an obvious trail blazer! Even if they do, trail blazers always record firsts anyway! That's why women need more firsts NOT just campaigns for gender equality.

What is it about Nigeria that makes it impossible for brilliant ideas that work in other countries to work here?

Iroko Obasi ND

A poem to cap this thoughts...

(A poem of apology and appreciation of Afrikan women from Afrikan men)

the time has come
for us
to be men
in the tradition
of our ancestors

the time has come
for us
to forever
speak truth
of Afrikan women

you
carrying us on your backs
when we
could not
walk
talk
stand
look in your eyes
ashamed
angry
enraged
over a manhood
denied

carrying us on your minds
when we
would not
vent
correctly,
instead
reaching out to hit
and hurt
the ones we "love"
who love us
more
than
we could ever
possibly know
in our confusion

pimpin'
and playin'
you
to ourselves
for ourselves
and our enemies
romancing you
enticing you
possessing, perversely obsessing
your bodies
with words misinterpreted as love
lies to access
and violate
your sacred gardens
infecting your divine wombs
for the love of a momentary
ejaculated passion
for the love of money
and an animal's reputation

reducing ourselves to
the Mandingoes
of other's imagination
against you
and for them

and
even worse
blindly lusting
after other's women
some even stooping
and bending
over forward
in their confused lust
of other men

the drunkenness
the drugs
the dead rage
the friends
the things
the excuses
the games of
placing self(ishness) first
family last

we have done wrong.
we know who we are.
we seek forgiveness.

there are no excuses
in
Afrikan manhood.
only righteous struggle
and correction
into
absolute respect
for
Afrikan womanhood.
all else flows
from this
universal
complementarity.

you breathe life into
what we build
keeping us connected.
you extend family.
you create community.
you give life.
you are love.

we know who you are.
you are the ones
who produced
legions of us,
who will bear legions more.
we ask that you
do not rear them in anger
at us
for our ignorance
and fear.
our daughters and sons
must become
great
warrior priests.
remain nurturers
mothers, sisters, daughters.
no Afrikan deserves
to die
alone
in hate.

there are no bitches
in this Afrikan house
no hoes, no heifers,
no sapphires, no chickenheads;

only queens
queen mothers
and queens in training.
we know who you are.

you are
our first divinities
all comes through the womb
the first human
proven as first fossil
the genes through which
humanity is traced
the Black madonnas
immaculate in conception and grace
the matriarachy
bloodlines through which we claim human rights
the breasts
which feed us, give us life
the economy
our sustaining relations to production
our spirituality
the ties that bind us as family in peace
the Kandaces
everywhere down through the ages
royal warrior defenders of our way
first teacher
patient in retelling ourstory
beautiful
from blue black to eggshell
refined
turning mere walk into art form
enigmatic
a mystery beyond male comprehension
proud
with every reason to be
every forgiving
humbly righting relationships of worth
soft, gentle, tickled
honorable qualities of any women
without blemish.

the time has come
for us to be men
for you to become queens
in our thoughts, words and deeds.

~ Baba Mwalimu Baruti

Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti
Battle Plan

Long one yeah? Thanks for your time... *smiles