…Says women should contest positions on merit

By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT?International rights activist, Alhaji Musa Saidu, has rejected calls for a law to implement the national gender policy that guarantees 35 percent involvement of women in governance across Nigeria.

Saidu, who is President of the International Human Rights Commission, Ecology and Marine, said female politicians should contest political positions on equal footing with men rather than seek preferential treatment based on gender.

He argued that comparisons with female politicians in Western countries were misplaced, stressing that many Nigerian women in public office had faced corruption allegations, unlike their counterparts in places like the United Kingdom.

?In the UK, from the era of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, female politicians were not accused of financial corruption. But in Nigeria, it is a different story. Several of our women who held public offices disappointed Nigerians,? Saidu said.

He maintained that Nigerian women should compete fairly, saying: ?We won?t allow women to use gender to impose themselves on the state. Many do not deserve the 35 percent affirmation policy. Our women should go and contest for offices like men.?

Saidu further alleged that law enforcement and the judicial system in Nigeria had sometimes appeared lenient toward women accused of corruption, creating room for exploitation.

?I am not against women, but I am only speaking based on the system we have in operation,? he added.

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