The office of the first lady

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.