USAfrica: Buhari’s ministerial list, women should get 12 to 15 appointees, says UPP’s Ada Egbufor

Buhari’s ministerial list: women should get 12 to 15 appointees, says UPP’s Ada Egbufor

The candidate of Nigeria’s UPP for the Orlu senatorial area of Orlu in Imo State, Barrister Ada Egbufor has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to set an inclusive government with women in key positions. “The President should recognize that the Nigerian woman is the key to the development of our nation. I encourage him to ensure that his cabinet has a significant number of women as well as in other key positions in his administration”, she stated during an exclusive interview with USAfrica Founder Chido Nwangwu on June 13, 2015.

Ms. Egbufor also said “There is absolutely no reason why we should not have at least 12 to 15 women ministers in this government. Much is being expected of President Buhari not just in fighting corruption but in other aspects of our country. Needless to say that if you want to fight corruption you must involve women or else it’s going to be a flop…. The Nigerian woman has for the longest been neglected. Nigeria still ranks lowest in the world when it comes to women participation in government. They are treated as war spoils. The issue of domestic abuse is not taken seriously. Nigerian women rank second in maternal mortality in the world after India.”

She added that her concerns are drawn from recent events, arguing that” I couldn’t help but notice that during his election campaign, he said very little on how he will involve women in his government.  His inaugural speech made no mention of the role women will play in his government. I am hoping that this is not reflective of how he will treat women going forward.”
She asserted that “The Nigerian woman is intelligent, smart, strong and very capable of playing a very effective role in public service at all levels. Unfortunately the face of our National Assembly does not reflect that….”
In politics of Nigeria, she pointed out “we are not taken seriously even when we are better qualified. The electoral political terrain is made antagonistic so much that our women feel that it is out of their reach.”

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