JUST IN: We need a new NUESA. A NUESA where: We Stopped the numbers game and tokenism.

Just a few days ago on the heart of the green Chambers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, she was ushered to sit with kings in the decision making chair(Speakership).

Rt. Hon. Isabel Anani 

I am not an accident to history of Nigeria, as history was made on the floor of the House of Representatives when a 16-year-old girlchild advocate, Rt. Hon. Isabel Anani, presided over the plenary session.

Somewhere in Nigeria, our leaders are putting all square pegs in square holes to make sure the girlchild in leadership agenda is promoted, and the debate for gender equality ended.

But somwhere in UofA, she's thought to only be good in classroom and bedroom.

I heard all the murmurings; how she can now be harrased and maimed all because she is a she.

 

How she's only felt as a tool to be given drugs, and rock ’n’ roll on the playground of bedroom.

Consequently,  now that NUESA has decided that the she's, come to power; ushering the she's an era of finding “step-by-steps for limbering up a new page without injuring the binding and the how-tos of leading to be a more efficient leader, the enemies of good leadership and equal rights, arose, fighting the she's and everyone who loved the she's. They proudly attack our democracy, defiled our constitution. For as Capitol is Jan. 6 is as Nuesa as 12th of October.

It is legitimate to ask whether the absence of women from government and unionism of UofA, really matters. I shall argue that from the point of view of descriptive theory the question is less straightforward than is generally thought and deserves serious consideration. From the normative theoretical point of view the question can be broken into subquestions. Do women have interests which differ from those of men? Is it necessary that those interests be represented by women? What can be done to ensure that women (or men) in unionism represents the interests of the students? Are there any reasons other than ensuring the advocacy of women's interests for electing women to office? On the one hand, one often hears the argument that women members of unionism are an elite with little in common with other women, hence their lack of success is not a cause for concern. Radical feminists argue that all women who participate in mixed political organisations are playing a 'boys' game and should not expect any success in chairing the rules of that game.

 

This scene repeats itself all too often in meeting rooms around UofA. A female leader will bring up a key and well-thought-out idea or suggestion, only for more dominant voices to overshadow and even talk over the female leader. Ten minutes later, a dominant male voice may even bring up the same or similar idea, and all of a sudden, the focus shifts to that male leader, and the idea is heard. To put it bluntly, this has to stop.

I know this is going to be controversial, and not everyone will agree with it. I feel we may need to put a stop to the numbers game. Measuring gender balance has served a purpose. It has helped us raise awareness of an unacceptable situation in society and organisations.  

However, it also came with the baggage of perceived tokenism. If a female leader at a table is perceived as being there to meet a quota, this instantly disempowers her. Implicit bias kicks in, and people start to subconsciously question her appointment, including the female leader herself.

The She's deserves to in power too.