By Josfyn Uba
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
– Sheryl Sandberg
The Nigerian political atmosphere is charged. The stage is getting set. With the political campaign kicking off, the contenders are in for a fierce battle. The standard-bearers for the different parties in the presidential race are doing their best to convince the electorate on why they should be given the chance.
Now, the campaign is heating up, the men are sweating it out in the field. Their wives, though not very visible at the campaign venues, are subtly moving, wooing and talking to the people. Sometimes, they go along with their spouse’s campaign trains, while, at other times, they galvanize their own teams. The bottom line is reaching the people. Naturally, given their gender and peculiarities, their campaign trains are more colourful and have all the paraphernalia of flamboyance and glamour. The whole essence is to woo the electorate, convince them and coast home victorious.
To occupy Aso Rock may be a tall order but where there is a will, there is a way. The desire to become the ‘First Family” is simply incomparable. No stone will be left unturned to achieve the goal. Everyone is putting in their best. It is realizeable.
Peter Obi is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Bola Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar got the Peoples Democratic Party’s ticket, Omoyele Sowore stands for the African Action Congress (AAC), while Rabiu Kwankwaso got the nod of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Come 2023, the nation will decide who takes up the mantle of leadership and leads the people out of socio-economic quagmire and security challenges. At the end of the race, when the battle is won and lost, one man will emerge Nigeria’s President out of these political gladiators. Naturally, his wife automatically becomes the First Lady. After all, as the saying goes, “Behind every successful man, there is a woman”.
In spite of the fact that the Nigerian Constitution does not legally support and has no official approval of the office of the First Lady, wives of heads of state have functioned in that capacity since Independence. Armed with well-funded pet projects and initiatives, they gain full support of the people and enjoy all the perquisites, glitz and glamour of office.
In the current presidential race, some of the wives of the standard-bearers and candidates have tasted the juicy and flamboyant life of the First Lady, while others have never been in the corridors of power. Whatever it is, the craving remains intense. Much as they desire to occupy this powerful seat, expectations are also very high from the public on the impact they would make and how much they would positively affect the lives of Nigerians.
So, what are the primary functions of the First Lady?
Sometime in February 2020 a conference for Nigeria’s former First Ladies was organized at the instance of Aisha Babangida. The event was in remembrance of her late mother, former First Lady, Mrs. Maryam Babangida, a quintessential woman who actually brought glamour to the seat of the First Lady with her Better Life for Rural Women Project. In attendance were many ex-First Ladies, among whom were Hajia Fati Abubakar, Mrs. Victoria Gowon and Mrs. Murtala Muhammed.
The aim of the conference was to create awareness about the tremendous positive impact of African First Ladies (especially Nigerians) on their nation-states. Part of the recommendations was that the ability of First Ladies to engender national cohesion should be encouraged and enhanced, especially in times of conflict, among others.
Recounting their functions and roles as Nigerian First Lady, one of them opined that “the First Lady may be able to feel the pulse of the nation more. The First Lady is the important third eye/leg of her husband. The First Lady should watch the mood of the nation and her husband’s. She shouldn’t distract him. She should help him deliver on his mandate. She should walk gently alongside her husband, while consoling him during trials and celebrating his victories. There is no job description for the First Lady. It is a unique opportunity to help people. It’s all about service to the country. The First Lady should be a good listener and never be in competition with your husband, the President. The First Lady should make sure her husband’s wardrobe is up to date. The First Lady is the quiet hand behind the throne.”
Mrs. Fati Abubakar said: “Every First Lady should be prepared for verbal assault from the public. You cannot afford as First Lady to respond to every criticism. You are there as First Lady to support your spouse. You must run anything and everything you wish to do by him.”
Be that as it may, there are several contenders and prospective First Ladies jostling for the only position in Aso Rock come 2023.
Daily Sun takes a looks at the prominent ones.
Margaret Obi
Margaret Obi, nee Brownson Usen, is a philanthropist and businesswoman. She was born on September 9, and hails from Calabar in Cross River State. She is the wife of Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate for 2023 and former Anambra State governor.
Margaret was First Lady of Anambra State when her husband, was governor, from 2006 to 2014. During her husband’s tenure as governor, she partnered with the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD) to institutionalise Anambra State Annual Mothers’ Summit, a programme targeted at gender equity. She also partnered the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons. She is also the brain behind her husband’s National Gender Affirmative Action, a cause aimed at ensuring women earned a seat in Obi’s cabinet while he was Anambra governor. Her support for causes relating to women and children is unwavering.
Margaret, also a women’s rights activist, saw to the creation of family courts in the state’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, aimed at dealing with issues involving the abuse of children and the violation of women’s rights, especially widows, ensuring they inherit their deceased husband’s properties.
Mrs. Obi and her husband, Peter, got married 30 years ago and are blessed with two children.
Senator Oluremi Shade Tinubu
Bola Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi Tinubu, was born on September 21, 1960, to an Itsekiri mother and Yoruba father. She was the youngest of 12 children and was raised in Ogun State, Nigeria. She is a former First Lady of Lagos State and a senator representing Lagos Central senatorial district at the National Assembly. Like her husband, she is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oluremi started her education at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu Ode, where she obtained her West African Senior School Leaving Certificate in 1979. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Ife, and a National Certificate of Education in Botany and Zoology from Adeyemi College of Education.
Oluremi, who became First Lady of Lagos State when her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was elected governor on the return of civilian rule in 1999, established the New Era Foundation, dedicated to establishing centres for “all-round development of young ones” and promoting public awareness on environmental health and community service.
Oluremi was one of over 100 senators re-elected from the Seventh Assembly to the Eighth Assembly in 2015. In the 2019 general election, she retained her senatorial seat, representing Lagos Central, making it her third tenure in office.
Mrs. Tinubu has sponsored bills in the House, including a bill to reform the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) to make it a more viable entity. She had also called for the creation of state police as a way of tackling the rising spate of insecurity in the country. Oluremi has executed a lot of philanthropic acts to alleviate the plight of indigent persons and, most importantly, she has touched the lives of girls and women in her constituency.
Oluremi Tinubu has been honoured locally and internationally. Among these honours are Officer of the Order of the Niger. She has also received the award for the most impactful female senator at International Women’s Day Summit 2021, organised by The Guardian. She was listed alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Tony Elumelu and other Nigerians for the Eko Excellence Awards in 2019.
She is married, with children, to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Hajia Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar
Titi Abubakar was born to the Albert family in Ilesa, Osun State, on June 6, 1949. She is former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s wife.
She had her primary education in Lafiaji, Lagos, then proceeded to St. Mary’s, Iwo, Osun State, for her secondary education up until 1969.
In 1971, she got married to Atiku Abubakar, who was at the time a customs officer. She then proceeded to further her education at the Kaduna State Polytechnic. Apart from English, she speaks Yoruba and Hausa languages fluently.
She is an advocate of women and child rights and founder of the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF). Hajia Titi Abubakar used the WOTCLEF platform to sensitize Nigerians on the detrimental effects of human trafficking not only on its victims but on the image and security of Nigeria as a country. Through it, several thousands of trafficked women and children and others in situations of abuse and exploitation have been rescued, rehabilitated and reintegrated in their communities. She has also continued to provide educational sponsorship for many vulnerable and indigent children in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.
A significant milestone in the work of WOTCLEF was the enactment of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003, and the subsequent establishment of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), which has today become a model anti-trafficking agency in Africa.
Chief (Mrs.) Titi Atiku Abubakar is a recipient of numerous awards and titles. In 2003, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) appointed her a partner in the crusade against child illiteracy, while The All-Africa Students Union honoured her with the 2010 Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award.
Mrs. Opeyemi Sowore
Opeyemi is a Nigerian-American. She holds a BA from the State University of New York, Binghamton, 1995, and an MBA from the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, 1997.
She is the vice-president, head of consumer engagement at Teladoc Health. She worked as an executive at American Express, Citigroup and Delta Airlines.
Not much, however, is known of her public life.
Salamatu Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
Salamatu Kwankwaso is the former First Lady of Kano State. She attended Government Girls College (GGC) Kabo. Not much is known about her and she is rarely seen in the media.