Source: All Africa
A gender-sensitive political organization, "Network of Women Politicians" has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to improve on the number of Northern women in the proposed cabinet
, given the unique role they played in the Northern region during the 2011 polls.
In a press statement issued on Monday in Kano, the politicians said Northern women were in the fore front of pro-Jonathan campaigns across the length and breadth of the region while their male counterparts were opposed to Jonathan to work for him or were afraid of the consequences of identifying with him.
The statement, which was signed by the chairperson of the Network, Hajiya Fatima Mohammed, said many of the women risked their lives in their various communities and made personal sacrifices by standing by Jonathan as the presidential candidate of the PDP.
They regretted that given the peculiar cultural background of the region, it will not be surprising that most of the opportunities meant for the political class in the North would end up being allocated to their male counterparts.
The Network said by appointing more Northern women into the cabinent, President Jonathan would be acting in line with his promise to position the womenfolk properly in the present administration by extending 35% of his appointments to them.
The statement equally expressed concern over the rating of technocrats in the proposed cabinet, saying the assumption that they are better inclined to head strategic ministries and portfolios should be jettisoned.
According to the statement, recent suggestions that Nigeria would be better driven by reserving certain portfolios for technocrats is not only hallow but ill-conceived as what is required to perform optimally in government is basic qualification and the power of rational judgment.
The Network regretted that the implication of the suggestion is that members of the political class, who should be well-rewarded for their toiling, are being substituted by persons who were not contributory to the success of the party or patently supportive of the process that enabled their victory.
The meeting, said the statement, resolved to call the attention of the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, on the need to emphasize the appointment of party men and women into the proposed cabinet.