Why are women not thriving politically in Nigeria?

[9ja Amaka]

I have to be very sincere, I think the major reason why women are not thriving in politics in Nigeria is because they are seen as a second class citizen and I don't they will be giving that opportunity to rule. You can see that we have few women in the senate and also the house of reps. We also have some women as deputy governor in some states and they also hold some ministerial and commissioner appointments,  but you don't see them becoming the president,  vice president,  governors or even senate president.  I think this is because the men in the country don't accept them as leaders, so they see them as second class citizen,  so they don't give them that opportunity.  I am not saying it's the right thing to do, but I am just staring what I feel is going on in the country.

[Pearl_20]

With all sincerity we should be realistic in our thinking, men are rational being and most natural quality a man give them the leadership advantages , so it doesn't sound like I'm being religious but the truth is women are king makers and necessarily the king, women are emotional being.

We are smart, strong and most time the only breaking point for most women are their emotions there are some decisions one has to make without hesitation and emotions.

There is the woman power which can be deployed to influence the leaders just that woman are not united enough due to their emotions.
Lets start from our secondary school, universities, communities, local government, state before we talk about the presidency, it's a process get involved be part of it at all level the with time women can have a structure not necessarily to become a president but to be incharge of the presidency.

Moreover, we're in a society where men see women as people who are not supposed to be in higher positions or given political appointments, reasons being that they're meant to be under men so this concept has been there from age's and thankfully for civilization, growth and development most women are taking that bold step to contest for political positions this time unlike before where such things didn't take place at all.  A question was asked on social media if they prefer a lady to rule instead of the President and I went to comment section to see how majority of the men reacted to it, they bluntly objected to theat idea and preferred to suffer to allowing a woman lead them.

[Yorubek]

I have to be very sincere, I think the major reason why women are not thriving in politics in Nigeria is because they are seen as a second class citizen and I don't they will be giving that opportunity to rule. You can see that we have few women in the senate and also the house of reps. We also have some women as deputy governor in some states and they also hold some ministerial and commissioner appointments,  but you don't see them becoming the president,  vice president,  governors or even senate president.  I think this is because the men in the country don't accept them as leaders, so they see them as second class citizen,  so they don't give them that opportunity.  I am not saying it's the right thing to do, but I am just staring what I feel is going on in the country.

Nigeria men never want or can see women ruling the country, they think women will only work inside the house and will not work outside, there is no need for women to be in politics. There are many men who do not want a woman to be able to advance in politics, they want only men to be front in politics, not women. I think that over time, this misconception of men will completely change, women will stand as well as men in politics and work together for Nigeria. Women will go much further in the field of politics, women will regain full respect on the political stage.

[Abdulzuruku01]

Based on my observation, I think most of the challenges that our  women are facing in that aspect are cultural factors, because some cultures don't believe that women have order responsibility than to obey their husband. There are so many women out there who are willing to participate in politics but they don't have freedom in their homes.

While some that have the freedom don't have confidence to withstand the crowd to speak confidently. Another factor is the economical factor, majority of them who are willing to participate doesn't have the funds and in our country, found is their major priority either you have criteria to be on the position or not is none of their business.

[Mr Reporter]

Based on my observation, I think most of the challenges that our  women are facing in that aspect are cultural factors, because some cultures don't believe that women have order responsibility than to obey their husband. There are so many women out there who are willing to participate in politics but they don't have freedom in their homes.

While some that have the freedom don't have confidence to withstand the crowd to speak confidently. Another factor is the economical factor, majority of them who are willing to participate doesn't have the funds and in our country, found is their major priority either you have criteria to be on the position or not is none of their business.

I think you have a good their is very correct well for example like my people from in the north don’t even see giving an lady opportunity infact on political grounds they don’t like it…them most just have it at their back of their mind that all a lady or woman is good at is cooking and taking care of the family…well all you have really said is a lot of thing but the majority one are…

In Nigeria already it more like that the stated law that was not written down that women can play politics and there feel it more it not even important to them and that they can not even handle the matters of the Nigeria but the truth be told can a woman handle the issue of Nigeria as it is…like what do you think if a woman was given a sit a of the president for 1year?

[Biirakedee]

Based on my observation, I think most of the challenges that our  women are facing in that aspect are cultural factors, because some cultures don't believe that women have order responsibility than to obey their husband. There are so many women out there who are willing to participate in politics but they don't have freedom in their homes.

While some that have the freedom don't have confidence to withstand the crowd to speak confidently. Another factor is the economical factor, majority of them who are willing to participate doesn't have the funds and in our country, found is their major priority either you have criteria to be on the position or not is none of their business.

I agree with you to some extent, cultural belief hold many women back especially when they are not being supported at home or don’t have the resources to compete but I don’t think it’s only about culture or confidence. The system itself is not very inclusive, we all know politics in Nigeria is very tough and expensive even for men. So it’s harder for women to thrive in that situation. Obviously there are many capable and confident women out there but the environment or society we find ourselves doesn’t give them a fair chance.

[Iamgoat]

Based on my observation, I think most of the challenges that our  women are facing in that aspect are cultural factors, because some cultures don't believe that women have order responsibility than to obey their husband. There are so many women out there who are willing to participate in politics but they don't have freedom in their homes.

You are making the right point and you also know it is not even about culture but even religion particularly for country or its people to another. This women leadership matter no be only Nigeria the matter they oo, even outside Nigeria self and all of them have their own reasons of which someone like me who has not acquainted such sophisticated knowledge will come and say i am having a disputing views on it despite knowing knowledge sharing allows me the freedom to share my opinion at any time, as my assumptions.

While some that have the freedom don't have confidence to withstand the crowd to speak confidently. Another factor is the economical factor, majority of them who are willing to participate doesn't have the funds and in our country, found is their major priority either you have criteria to be on the position or not is none of their business.

Is it about facing the crowd to speak alone? Let me just see this as a tip of the iceberg because many women are already trained public speakers and are very active with their brands but it is not enough because it is not what we are talking about when it comes to women lacking the ability to be leaders which also entails other leadership qualities such as being able to defend what is right firmly from what is wrong, etc.

[Biirakedee]

From origin all countries all over the world have representatives starting from the military era to the civilian leadership system and where men, not that there was no intelligent or excellent women that was meant to rule then but because of the requirements of leadership women where not elected all as a result of natural gender roles of nature. From the gender role of nature, women are supposed to be submissive to there men but because of the said civilization and gender equality principles, women came into politics which was why  vigdis finnbogadotirr because the first female president in 1980  for Iceland although her leadership was a bit fear with little wrong political decision made as at then.

After clearly looking at the requirements of politics i will support the gender inequality that existed in Africa since origin as coping the western culture is one of the problem affecting Africa today. Not that woman dont posses the qualities of leadership but they have limitations to be compared to that of the men as they are easily controlled by irrelevant things and should remain submissive to the men as they where supposed to be because God that straightly talked about there submissiveness to there partners has reasons for that.

I don’t think the issue is about women lacking with the ability to lead or being naturally not suited for politics. History already shows that when women are given the opportunity, they can lead effectively. We’ve seen female leader like okonjo iweala who have proven that leadership is about competence and not gender. The reason women are not thriving politically in Nigeria and much of Africa has to do with cultural bias, political violence and the party system that favor men. Also saying that women a easily controlled or should remain submissive does not reflect reality at all. We all know that leader is built on skills, integrity and decision making not gender roles and that is why if we really and truly want progress, the focus should be on creating equal opportunities.

[Jegileman]

The major reason why women are not thriving politically in our country is not because they actually don’t want to but because the country we find ourselves today think women can’t rule us.

The state of affairs in Nigeria as a country don’t even look suitable for a woman to rule, that’s liberty is not even given to them for them to even feel that they can actually rule Nigeria and do it well better than the men are doing it. I’m not saying women cannot rule Nigeria, but it is not something that will happen now, not in this condition that we are now as a country where life of the people are not safeguarded and are killed on a basis, this is really sad. Women are nation builders and anywhere a woman leads, the changes and impact are felt there. Nigeria still needs to be more democratic as a country before a woman can rule.

[Ishicryptic]

The reason why I believe that women are not given deserved opportunities to be in leadership positions is that men feel intimidated when a woman is leading them, the ego in men will make them to feel that a woman's place is to be by the side of a man not above him. It is not like men don't identify qualified women to lead but because they don't want to be controlled by women they will rather find a man to be a leader.

If a woman wants to be a leader that means that she will have to prove herself 10 times more than the way a man will prove himself before she can get the respect and recognition from men and her fellow women to endorse her. Maybe in the future men and women will actually get the same opportunities for leadership positions but for now and the foreseeable future I see bias towards women. Truth be told a lot of women don't have what it takes to lead but the few that does should be given the opportunity to shine.

[DYOR+BTC]

From origin all countries all over the world have representatives starting from the military era to the civilian leadership system and where men, not that there was no intelligent or excellent women that was meant to rule then but because of the requirements of leadership women where not elected all as a result of natural gender roles of nature. From the gender role of nature, women are supposed to be submissive to there men but because of the said civilization and gender equality principles, women came into politics which was why  vigdis finnbogadotirr because the first female president in 1980  for Iceland although her leadership was a bit fear with little wrong political decision made as at then.

After clearly looking at the requirements of politics i will support the gender inequality that existed in Africa since origin as coping the western culture is one of the problem affecting Africa today. Not that woman dont posses the qualities of leadership but they have limitations to be compared to that of the men as they are easily controlled by irrelevant things and should remain submissive to the men as they where supposed to be because God that straightly talked about there submissiveness to there partners has reasons for that.

I don’t think the issue is about women lacking with the ability to lead or being naturally not suited for politics. History already shows that when women are given the opportunity, they can lead effectively. We’ve seen female leader like okonjo iweala who have proven that leadership is about competence and not gender. The reason women are not thriving politically in Nigeria and much of Africa has to do with cultural bias, political violence and the party system that favor men. Also saying that women a easily controlled or should remain submissive does not reflect reality at all. We all know that leader is built on skills, integrity and decision making not gender roles and that is why if we really and truly want progress, the focus should be on creating equal opportunities.

Women are deprived that leadership position not because of there incompetence or lacking leadership ability but I think because they lack the courageous ability to stand when the situation gets out of hand while she is in office.  If you can tell more about okonjo iweala, you will realise they during her time in office while still serving Nigeria,  she was surrounded by leaders with vision and good leadership qualities that was why her impact becomes productive then.
What the Nigerian leadership system needs now is someone with a stronger heart that can take straight decisions and follow up because the change we glamour for can come to reality.

[Bitcoin Maxi]

In Nigeria men are seen to be superior than the men and we still believe that women place is in the kitchen, that they are supposed to stay at home, fend for the children and take care of the family. Our society still believes that men are the only ones that is supposed to hold powers and that's why we keep having a male dominated society. And because of men always being the head or leaders in every facet of our society it has made the women that even have interest in one aspect or the other to be discouraged because they feel no one might support thern.

[Biirakedee]

From origin all countries all over the world have representatives starting from the military era to the civilian leadership system and where men, not that there was no intelligent or excellent women that was meant to rule then but because of the requirements of leadership women where not elected all as a result of natural gender roles of nature. From the gender role of nature, women are supposed to be submissive to there men but because of the said civilization and gender equality principles, women came into politics which was why  vigdis finnbogadotirr because the first female president in 1980  for Iceland although her leadership was a bit fear with little wrong political decision made as at then.

After clearly looking at the requirements of politics i will support the gender inequality that existed in Africa since origin as coping the western culture is one of the problem affecting Africa today. Not that woman dont posses the qualities of leadership but they have limitations to be compared to that of the men as they are easily controlled by irrelevant things and should remain submissive to the men as they where supposed to be because God that straightly talked about there submissiveness to there partners has reasons for that.

I don’t think the isssue is about women being naturally less suited for leadership. Women has proven over and over and over that they can lead effectively when given the chance. This is why Vigdis finnbogadotirr you mentioned was it just an ordinary leader, she served for years and was respected for her leadership. Ellen Johnson also led an entire country so also does okonjo iweala is handling global economic leadership perfectly well. This women has shown us that leadership is about being competent and not about gender equality. So it’s not that women can’t lead, it’s just that the system has made it harder for them to participate and succeed. Leadership is not about I’m a male or female, it is about competence, vision and the ability to deliver results. If Nigeria truly wants to progress the focus should also be on creating space for capable people both male and female to contribute, No discrimination or whatsoever because limiting leadership based on gender only holds the country back.

[DYOR+BTC]

From origin all countries all over the world have representatives starting from the military era to the civilian leadership system and where men, not that there was no intelligent or excellent women that was meant to rule then but because of the requirements of leadership women where not elected all as a result of natural gender roles of nature. From the gender role of nature, women are supposed to be submissive to there men but because of the said civilization and gender equality principles, women came into politics which was why  vigdis finnbogadotirr because the first female president in 1980  for Iceland although her leadership was a bit fear with little wrong political decision made as at then.

After clearly looking at the requirements of politics i will support the gender inequality that existed in Africa since origin as coping the western culture is one of the problem affecting Africa today. Not that woman dont posses the qualities of leadership but they have limitations to be compared to that of the men as they are easily controlled by irrelevant things and should remain submissive to the men as they where supposed to be because God that straightly talked about there submissiveness to there partners has reasons for that.

I don’t think the isssue is about women being naturally less suited for leadership. Women has proven over and over and over that they can lead effectively when given the chance. This is why Vigdis finnbogadotirr you mentioned was it just an ordinary leader, she served for years and was respected for her leadership. Ellen Johnson also led an entire country so also does okonjo iweala is handling global economic leadership perfectly well. This women has shown us that leadership is about being competent and not about gender equality. So it’s not that women can’t lead, it’s just that the system has made it harder for them to participate and succeed. Leadership is not about I’m a male or female, it is about competence, vision and the ability to deliver results. If Nigeria truly wants to progress the focus should also be on creating space for capable people both male and female to contribute, No discrimination or whatsoever because limiting leadership based on gender only holds the country back.

I never mentioned  that women are  not suited for leadership because the few that was given the opportunity have proven beyond reasonable doubt they are good  but what u see in them is a weak soul that can easily be manipulated if surrounded by corrupt personalities because a weaker soul can never compete with a stronger one.
What the leadership of Nigeria needs now is a very strong one that will be interested in the transformation of the country and  nothing more, to become a good leader in Nigeria you should be ready to face any kind of challenges because the corrupt and bad existing leaders will do everything humanly possible to stop the moving train

[Mr Reporter]

In Nigeria men are seen to be superior than the men and we still believe that women place is in the kitchen, that they are supposed to stay at home, fend for the children and take care of the family. Our society still believes that men are the only ones that is supposed to hold powers and that's why we keep having a male dominated society. And because of men always being the head or leaders in every facet of our society it has made the women that even have interest in one aspect or the other to be discouraged because they feel no one might support thern.

Well in stil that same Nigeria there is no where it is written down that women should not join the political process of the country just that corruptions will not even allow to notice things like and sound so annoying here those this mean the women are not fit for politics or what? Because it really high time the woman fight for what is there’s and not but the truth…as a woman in Nigeria we have same rights to the country same share to the country and I see why fear is there to speak out…just that it has been eaten me up come to see some women rise to this level and fight for what is there’s right…

[LOVER BOY 422]

The international women's day just passed and I hope you all took your time to send wishes to your mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends and all the lovely women in your life . Anyway, Happy International Women's Day In Arrears to myself and all the lovely women in our Local board including the forum at large.

Back to the topic, women are nation builders cause they play a major role in the economic, social and political growth of a country but I've discovered that Nigerian women are not really thriving in the political sector and it's so disturbing cause that's one area women need to seriously participate and help build the nation democratically. To prove that my statement is correct, out of the 109 members of the 10th senate in Nigeria, only 4 women holds the position of a senator and out of the 360 reps members, there are just 17 women holding that position.

You can see that the numbers are poor, yet we say women are nation builders, now how can women help build in the political sector when the number of female lawmakers in the country are not up to 30%. It's very poor compared to other democratic nations and I keep wondering why women are not trying to make a change concerning that. However I've figured out that monetary constraints is one of the reasons that hinders many women from stepping up to contest for key political positions in the country, there's more to it though and I'll love to hear your opinions as to why Nigerian women are not thriving politically.

Back then I think women has a serious and peaceful demonstration about this same thread you created, women are unique in nature they are our bone and our happiness in many cases, depriving them from leading  is totally bad , as I was saying after their peaceful demonstration they gave women chance to be leading but they can't be the head, but they can assist the head in many places n ow but the right for them to be the head wasn't given at all , they believe that women can easily be manipulated by their husbands, boyfriends and brothers, that's why they haven't for once give them the opportunity to be the head in anything because they are easily be manipulated to dance to the tuns of any men around them.

But to me we have discussed about gender inequality before how women and men should have the same supreme power of leadership because we are equal, that's what brought the saying that say what men can do women can do better , on a norms women are supposed to be given the same sovereignty power of leadership ,if you check women brought men into this world with the help of man , the same energy men use to impregnate a woman, women still use the same energy to bring man to the world so why can't them have the small Authority when it comes from leadership, they are supposed to be given a chance to lead.

In many rural communities in Africa I think women have the right to rule as the monarch and the king in many places in some African countries but in the case of Nigeria they haven't adopted that right ,but on a norms they are supposed to lead .

[Sammysmart001]

I would say our beliefs toward women has really done more bad than good to our women today. Why did I say so allot of us have this beliefs that woman are ment to be in the kitchen, thank God for the time change now that woman have stand up to carter for herself without depending on anybody. So I would say all this have being the issue from long time long that we can’t find women today as our leader. Allot of them that have try from day one haven’t been given that chance to rule. So I would say that Nigerian as a whole aren’t really in support to see a woman leading the country. And again we can only find few women in politics of not today that their have being of partake.

[Uhwuchukwu53]

The answer to this is very simple before now the chance of women occupying any position is not up to 5% but after clamouring and all sort it's now an open opportunity for women to take over 20-25% position in the government, it's hard for women to take presidential seat as majority of the leaders are men and Nigeria politics is matter of mindset, some kind of urgly things men do to occupy those seat most women can't go to that length besides mostly believe and the multi cultural diversity of the nation affect women more as most religion believes that women responsibility is centered on kitchen even when they educated and some time affect some regional women association as they can't be found in the mist if fellow women due to religion mostly some alhaji wife etc, many barrier leads to women setback in politics but civilization and them setup has help a little in taking some seat but can't achieve presidential seat with ease or happen to become house majority for now despite their population in the nation.

[Biirakedee]

The answer to this is very simple before now the chance of women occupying any position is not up to 5% but after clamouring and all sort it's now an open opportunity for women to take over 20-25% position in the government, it's hard for women to take presidential seat as majority of the leaders are men and Nigeria politics is matter of mindset, some kind of urgly things men do to occupy those seat most women can't go to that length besides mostly believe and the multi cultural diversity of the nation affect women more as most religion believes that women responsibility is centered on kitchen even when they educated and some time affect some regional women association as they can't be found in the mist if fellow women due to religion mostly some alhaji wife etc, many barrier leads to women setback in politics but civilization and them setup has help a little in taking some seat but can't achieve presidential seat with ease or happen to become house majority for now despite their population in the nation.

Women in this country face real barriers in politics due to cultural belief and religious expectations and the nature of the politic it’self makes it harder for them to rise  because the system already is been dominated by men and that affects both opportunities and support. Even though there has been some improvement, it’s still not enough for women to easily reach top position in this country.