 As women achieve power, the barriers will fall. As society sees what women can do, and as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things. And we'll all be better off for it. That's according to the late American legal practitioner, Ruth Bader Gainsburg. Welcome to The Advocate, where thought-provoking topics are discussed with no holds barred here on Plus TV Africa. We basically call a spade by its name. Women leadership and political participation is my focus today. Comfort is saying today that equality in human and women should not be afraid to speak. Ruth also gives reasons for the lack of women participation in Nigerian politics. And finally, any time following the theme for the International Women's Day says, we must break the bias. Sit back and after this break, the women will be here to discuss it all. Stay with us. On the 1st of March 2022, Nigeria's National Assembly made up of 95% men, voted to 1. Declined citizenship to the foreign-born husband of a Nigerian woman. A Nigerian man's wife gets automatic citizenship. 2. Deny Nigerians in the diaspora the right to vote. 3. Deny women the ability to take indigenship of their husband's seat after five years of being together. 4. Deny 35% appointed position for leaders. 5. Deny women 35% of affirmative action in party administration and leadership. 6. Reject specific seats for women at the National Assembly. All this just a few days before we celebrate International Women's Month. And this year's theme is break the bias. It highlights the fact that there remains a deliberate and conscious bias that has prevented women from excelling. It's a crying shame that at a time when all over the world more and more women are being elected to high political offices and even becoming heads of state. From Angela Merkel, Jacinda Arden, Camila Harris, to the Prime Minister of Namibia and most recently Barbados which has two women at the top of her government. Namely, Mia Motley as Prime Minister and Sandra Mason as President. These women are bringing unique and fresh perspective on the challenges that their countries face and are showing innovative and effective leadership. It's at this time when the entire world is making progress that the Nigerian National Assembly has chosen to continue to see the Nigerian women as a follower and not a leader. They want to keep Nigeria in the dark age and are insisting on relegating women to, in the words of our President, the other room. In 2020, Nigeria's female population amounted to approximately 101.67 million while the male is 104.47 million. This puts the percentage of the Nigerian female population at 49.32%. So why then you may ask is the National Assembly denying us a 35% share of leadership? This is not happening just at the political arena. Even in 2022, amongst publicly traded companies, only a very small percentage of CEOs are female. This year's International Women's Day theme of breaking the barrier, of rather breaking the bias, is an opportunity to address and create a more gender equal world. Currently, there is a coalition group of Nigerian women who are occupying the National Assembly and are determining that until the issues I highlighted above are addressed, they will remain there. As women in Nigeria, we deserve an equal or at the very minimum, the 35% currently denied us, seat at the table. And if we don't get it, then maybe it's time that we bring our own table. 2023 is around the corner and can be a game changer in every field and every profession. There are outstanding women who have changed the game and politics is not different. It's time that there's more female participation in politics. It looks like we can't beat the men, but we definitely don't have to join them. So let's flip and change the narrative. Yes, the part I really liked was where you actually identified and highlighted the fact that bringing our own table. As we were talking and thinking through these issues around women, I realized over the years, all the things that make us human beings as women have been relegated or described as weak or as bad. There's been narratives around, so women are up in politics or in positions, how they dress. You know, when they're showing the Jamaican, when they're showing the precedents, I was like, I was looking and thinking, at the beginning when we're fighting for equality, women will have to wear the box suits and have to wear clothes that are very unflattering just so that they would not, so quote, unquote, attract the male gaze. I'm sorry, really, I think really, really, it's time to own what we are. You are male and female. We bring different skills to the table, and you cannot do without the other party. It's time to accept it. Absolutely. And really, so I think I agree with you. Flip the narrative. I think for me, I also align with the fact that you have to bring your own table. Yes. Because really, as it stands, there's already a bias that is prevalent in the system. And you really cannot, I mean, if you're going to, is it that you go against it and fight it, or you decide that, you know what, I'm going to set another pace, you know, set another standard. And I guess that's what women need to do. More women need to begin to see themselves as being as capable as a man. Absolutely. Absolutely. They're not less than a man. Absolutely. In some cases, you're actually better. If you look at it from school days, you realize that women... They're coming to my head. But I agree with you, actually. Academically, from school days, I remember my time, it was the women that were topping the class from my primary up until my university. The best graduate students in my set were, in fact, there were two. There were all females. So I think it just means that women are doing well. But then you see that after university and everything, then the guys flying this way, and then the women are either, they've gotten to a place and they've played suit, or they're staff members. I guess it's just something that we, as well as women, have to think and say, you know what? My space is not ready. I'm not ready gated to the other room. My space is not just in the kitchen. Absolutely. My space is not just to take care of the children. Of course, I'm going to do all of those things, but that's not just all about me. There's more to me than all this. So I can bring as much value or even more value to the table than my male counterparts. Yes. I think that we have to come forward. Come forward. Yes. I agree with everyone. Especially, yes, your last point about bringing, you know, bringing our table. I think that's what resonated with me. I'm sorry. I'm one of the females that does not believe that in the affirmative action being campaigned for women, you want to take power. You don't go as the person who has power and please. Yes. Can you give me some steps? You will become the perfect of the person who has put you there. Whether we like it or not, we have our work cut out for us as women. And if we're going to be very honest, we are doing very minimal work in trying to bring up the women who we want to be in this position. That is one. Either as you, once somebody does put it up now, the issue of believing in yourself, taking your skills on, bringing it to the fore, me and you supporting more women, each women. The narrative is also there. Women support women. But how do we see it? Let's be very, very honest. A typical example is the issue of governor's wives who are supposed to be the leaders of women in their states. While we have issues at home, what do you call it? Election is our first approaching. What was top on their mind was a trip down to another country to go and deliver a box of cakes. How are the people that you want to collect or you want to share power with, how are they supposed to take on serious? So my phone here, I'm sorry. The issue of occupying us, being angry that they did not pass meals. I'm sorry. I think that is, we're majoring in minor. We have to go back to the 20s. We have to go back to the 20s. We have to begin to see how do we hold ourselves accountable, responsible. I'm not even going to go into what you call it now, the degrading of womanhood in the process. In the process, in this whole bid of we are trying to be equal, or we're trying to form freedom. And therefore, losing, somebody said it was clear where you are a man, you are a woman. We have different skillset. There are different things that are expected of us. I'm not a woman who is a king. I'm a woman who is a queen. Until we understand our powers and hernestics and accept our uniqueness, we are going to keep on shouting at the doors of nationality. I think that popular culture has tried over time to put us in a box where if you are a woman, you are made to sort of shrink. So if, for instance, you are assertive, then they say that you are aggressive. They've put all these labels on us and made it to become negative. And because we're constantly then seeking affirmation to prove that, oh, I'm not bossy. I'm just a leader. And as a leader, there are some decisions that I have to make. And that's not negative. We're then shrinking so that we will not be called those names. You know, we're talking earlier and I was saying how, again, the men have worked on our psychology where they're making us think that, oh, politics is a dirty place. It's not for you weak women. You know, you should just stay at home and look after your kids. And then if you dare to aspire, then it's seen as, oh, a man put her days because she's this person's wife or she's this person. Because again, are we really sending the people on merit? Are we sending people who we think are the right representatives of the people or of the women? So yes, I think that it's time that we change the narrative and comfort. Nobody is going to hand over power to us. So going to the National Assembly, while it seems it looks nice, but really we're going to ask for permission again. So at what point do we know that, okay, we can form our own political parties. Exactly. We can build our own candidates. We can bring our own table and design that. Okay, you want to be the president. What's your agenda? What's your plan for the Nigerian world? What are you, what's in it for me? So we have to be thinking, what's in it for me? And then that should lead or guide what we decide to do in the future. I mean, I have a problem with the quota system because in my mind, the quota already says that you are actually dreaming a favor. You're not dreaming a favor. I am smart. I am good. I am as comfortable as my male counterpart. So you're not dreaming a favor to give me a position. You can't do that. So it means that if I know that I'm that good, then I should look at ways in which I could actually occupy those positions. If any female goes out there and is properly funded and decides to run for any political position, if she's good with what her in and she gets in. So I guess that is that narrative of having to wait for us to get some of these. So I think if we want to prove women supporting women right, this may be a good place to start. Exactly. But supporting the women who are aspiring to this, I mean, positions. So let's support each other. I mean, let's push women forward. Comfort is next right after this break.