A lot has been said about the illegality of the office of first
lady and the abuse of power. In some publications, reference has been made to
her involvement in the search of the “Chibok girls”, she has been termed
meddlesome and a disruption of justice.
The fact that it is not written in the constitution does not
make the office illegal.
The office of the Chief of Staff cannot be found in the Nigerian
constitution either but this is an accepted norm.
The office of the first lady has been in contention since
after independence with some school of thought believing that the office should
be more of a social one, dedicated to hosting dignitaries and being a quiet
decoration on the arm of the president.
But nullifying the power behind the man is tantamount to
claiming the woman’s role beside her husband is useless. The duty of the first
lady is to first and foremost be a wife.
A wife’s job, contrary to popular belief does not stop with
cleaning the house, cooking the meals and looking after the children rather the
wife serves as a back bone to her husband, his confidant and his sounding board
for his issues. In the case where the wife has a good head over her shoulders
and can think, she aids her husband in the running of the house hold, his
businesses and SHE DOESN’T TAKE over but she supports.
Why should the case of the first lady of Nigeria be any different?
The First Lady is an International celebrity, she can and should leverage her title to serve as an advocate for social issues.
Looking back at history we see various first ladies leave their mark in the
sands of time, acknowledged some of these marks are better served erased than
remembered but those marks remain indelible.
Every First Lady is different; she has a different set of ideals
and manner of approach. Dame Patience Jonathan has proven to be first a mother
and then a woman of peace.
During the passing of bill of marriage to under age
women, the media was bombarded with videos from Nollywood actors complaining about her inaction in preventing
the bill for child marriage. It was conveniently forgotten at the time that the
first lady has no power over the senators and bills of legislature and cannot force
them to take any stand that favours her
If I recall correctly the statement was
“Oh wait a minute,
where is the first lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan? Why haven’t we heard
your voice? You derive pleasure in lending your voice to issue that do not
concern you but this issue is right under you and we expect to hear your voice
because you are the mother of Nigeria…mother of the nation…If you do not stand
up and put a stop to this madness, then I’m really sorry, it’s a shame!”
There was a huge consensus as the video went viral.
Nigerians
being a vocal set of people were in agreement therefore it is strange that when
the same woman takes an active role in bringing back our children, the same
people criticize her.
She has been quite vocal of her pain in the abduction of the
girls, this shows that she is human. She broke down in tears when it was
obvious that those who claimed to be stake holders in this affair showed a lackadaisical
attitude when it came to the investigation of the series of unfortunate events,
this shows that is a mother.
How many people can claim to (and believe me, I verified
this) provide surgical care to 43 children with holes in their heart, work in
collaborative partnership with governmental agencies on maternal and child
health programs, reach out and offer a sense of validity to over 3000 persons
living with HIV and AIDS, provide an opportunity for skill acquisitions of which to
date, over 3000 Nigerian women have benefited of.
I can hear you say, so what? I’m sure she could afford it. And
to that I ask you, how many other well to do Nigerians who can afford to be philanthropic,
actually spend their own money, or take the time to raise the funds to better
the lives of their fellow man? Yet these people are not criticized on every
turn. Rather they are praised in hopes that bread crumbs may one day drop from their
tables into the awaiting masses mouths.
Let us call a spade a spade.
Dame Patience Jonathan has always been an advocate for women
and the girl child in general.
Becoming the wife of the President did not mean that she
would abandon her inherent beliefs and ideals or that she would change from the
person she is. Rather she entered a position where lives can be positively
affected by her actions and she utilizes it to the fullest of her abilities.
No
one should be prosecuted for caring.
