TheCable

The Feminist Womanifesto Group, a gender advocate organisation, says it will not tolerate the “harassment” of persons, especially women, appointed into public offices in Nigeria.

The group, in a statement by Biola Akiode-Afolabi, its convener, and ‘Yemi Adamolekun, executive director of EiE Nigeria, said it has observed a pattern of harassment “in the experiences of several women who have honoured the call to serve”.

It listed some of the affected women to include Hadiza Bala Usman, embattled managing director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Arunma Oteh, former director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Yewande Sadiku, executive secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), and Marilyn Amobi, former managing director of the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET).

President Muhammadu Buhari approved Bala Usman’s suspension in May, following a recommendation by Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation. 

She was accused of failing to remit the operating surplus of NPA to the consolidated revenue fund (CFR) — an allegation she denied. 

In 2013, the house of representatives asked ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to sack Oteh over allegations of incompetence.

Sadiku was probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in August over alleged contract fraud, while Amobi was asked to go on terminal leave in June 2020 by Sale Mamman, the minister of power.

On December 24, 2019, the minister had asked Amobi to step down amid allegations of fraud levelled against her.

The group said if the “pattern” is not curbed, “the fallout will be competent women refusing to take high office”.

“While there are also examples of men who have been harassed, for women who endure this experience, it is also a form of gender-based violence. While there’s no physical violence and less visible marks, workplace abuse has the same root cause and the impact is just as devastating. The attacks follow a pattern and if not curbed, the fallout will be competent women refusing to take high office which would be a great loss to the country,” the group said.

“We therefore call on the government and persons of goodwill to stand with Ms Sadiku and end this campaign of calumny against her by some unscrupulous members of staff of NIPC and board members fueled by misogyny and an evident capacity deficit. Her demands for efficiency and transparency are an affront on their collective ineptitude and they are bent on damaging her reputation beyond NIPC.

“Speaking out clearly in Ms Sadiku’s support will send a strong message that this type of behaviour will not be accepted by citizens, especially Nigerian women, who want those committed to our collective good to hold public office in Nigeria.”

The statement was co-signed by 225 other non-governmental organisations.