The All Progressive Congress (APC’s) Professional Women Network Worldwide has encouraged professionals to become more involved in politics in Nigeria to ensure robust policy making and implementation in the country. The president of the group, Dr. Atinuke Wuraola-Owolabi, gave the call on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at a forum for political discourse with the theme: “The Role of Professionals in Politics and Good Governance.” She also called for a cleanup of the professional space to remove people with nothing to offer.
She encouraged more professionals to go into politics in order to speed up the nation’s development. The foundation of a nation’s development hinges on its professionals and experts. Experts such as professional teachers, engineers, lecturers and professors, accountants, doctors, nurses, computer scientists, etc. will add invaluable benefits to the political space. According to Wuraola-Owolabi, professionalism in politics is a path to good governance. And how does professionalism get into politics if not by professionals actively participating in politics?
The group says Nigerian politics need more women.
The president of the association says that a professional would bring his or her skills to the fore when they are needed and they carry decency and decorum as armor. Doing otherwise, she says, would send the country into political doom. She appealed to more female technocrats from various fields, however, to get involved in politics. She said politics is a serious matter and it is too important to be left in the hands of politicians alone.
She also said that some people go into politics for the wrong reasons due to ignorance. Because of this, they would not be able to formulate better policies that would better the lives of their constituents. The patron of the group, Dr. Nasiru Argungu, advised women in politics to collaborate, commit, and support the vision to make the association a greater force with more influence in the country. He concluded by saying that no nation can survive without its professionals.
Women are needed in forging political direction.
In the same vein, a former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, who was represented by the Director of Woman Affairs, Tinubu Support Organization, Mrs. Folashade Onajobi, said that the role of women in nation building could not be overemphasized. She said women’s huge population was needed in forging political direction because they were closer to both the youth and children. So, they should be given opportunity to deploy their expertise for good governance. She warns that any party that ignores women does so at its own peril.
At the forum, different notable people commented on the issue. Mrs. Ayisat Gbajabiamila, a clinical pharmacist, said that women were naturally multi-talented. She stated that these unique talents and knowledge were crucial to accelerated development. Also, Mrs Sally William-Chinebu, the Country Director of Nigerian Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus, said that professionals left the political space in the country and that gave many who had nothing to offer opportunity to take over. Additionally, William-Chinebu advised women to collaborate to be able to change the narrative in political struggles.
Is Nigeria’s political space suitable to diligent professionals?
As the discourse about professionals in politics, especially women, continue to gain traction in Nigeria, the question whether Nigeria’s political space suits diligent professionals still remains valid. In different professional fields, most things are almost black-and-white. For instance, these people believe that they have to be diligent, honest, and averse to cutting corners to be on top in their respective field. In the political space, this may not be so clearly spelled out. A politician may have to breach what many professionals know and abide by as ethics.
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