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Perhaps the luck bearer who got lucky and found himself in the
saddle is really serious after all. I say this because for the first time in
recent times, the Nigerian government has appointed a woman who is passionate
about the issues of women into the Ministry of Women Affairs with the
appointment of Josephine Anenih.

I know many will disagree with me and contend that she got there
by affiliation, because she was, at some point in her life, married to the
off-shore godfather who has been ‘fixed’ into surrender by the comrade
governor. Others say her strong connection to Madam acting first lady landed
her the job.

This reasoning, which implies that women who have one form of
association or another with a man high up ceases to be an active participant in
the life of her community does not and will never sway me. For me, the fact
that a woman is daughter, wife, mistress, or even sugar mummy of a powerful and
influential man is immaterial, as long as she is effective and others can
benefit from her knowledge and experience.

I met Mrs. Anenih at a forum organised by some groups in 2006 to
figure out how to improve women’s participation in elective positions to at
least 30 percent in 2011, in conformity with the recommendations of the Beijing
Platform for Action (BPFA). Prior to that time, I had tried almost
unsuccessfully not to follow the argument of the majority that women who have
such affiliations should not be elected or appointed into decision-making
positions.

However, her interventions at the forum helped me to make up my
mind to only base my assessment on the facts before me, and not listen to what
people say. Listening to her that day changed my perception of women of her
type completely.

In Mrs. Anenih, I saw brilliant and experienced person who can
champion the cause of women. So, the space a woman operates from to enhance the
lives of other women matters very little to me these days because come to think
of it, that does not determine a woman’s effectiveness or otherwise. What I
think are the significant determining factors include knowledge and competence,
as well as passion for the job at hand.

Now that the Acting President has asked the newly sworn in
Ministers to hit the ground running the challenge to our new Minister of
Women’s Affairs is to set an agenda that will generate dividends to Nigerian
women. The interest of Nigeria and of course Nigerian women, whether in urban,
semi-urban or rural areas should be paramount. This is the time to consolidate
those achievements she has made, in collaboration with others, which she
mentioned during her screening exercise.

Agenda for minister

Although I have no plans to set another 7-point agenda for the
Minister, there are some areas that I would like her to look into. These
include lobbying the male-dominated legislature to domesticate human rights
instruments that promote and protect the rights of women; forming strategic
alliances with relevant stakeholders with the goal of increasing women’s
participation from its present 7 percent, which sadly is the lowest in West
Africa; ensuring that there is ‘gender character’ of a minimum of 30 percent in
fielding candidates for political office by all the political parties.

In addition, women in conflict areas should be involved in
decisions that affect them. It could also be useful to learn from the
experiences of her colleagues in countries where there is significant progress
in the development of African women and girls, such as Rwanda, Liberia, South
Africa and Ghana, among others.

I wish Mrs. Anenih good luck (of course, without Jonathan!).