The outcome of Madam Patience Jonathan’s (the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan) visit to Rivers State recently is a puzzler. Many Nigerians are still unable to comprehend as to why she had the audacity to scold Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State. What many had thought would be the homecoming of the daughter of the state, turned out to be a pilgrimage of exhibition of loquaciousness.
Madam Patience Jonathan shouted at Amaechi: Listen! You must listen to me! Was the governor not embarrassed like a school boy with that statement? Did the governor ever mentioned about waterfronts? But, Mrs. Jonathan went on: œI want you to get me clear. I am from here (Okrika). I know the problems of my people. So, I know what I am talking. I don’t want us to go into crises… Did you say ethnic sentiment?
Against that influence, many analysts had since characterized the episode of the president’s wife as What a weak president can’t do, a wild wife can.Whatever that means, we’ve to accord reverence to whom it is due to, no matter whoever’s husband or wife we may think we are. Mrs. Jonathan (or do we say, Mrs. President?) having talked to a sitting Governor in such a manner that lacked diplomacy, shows the careless planning of Nigerian women to be in politics in the future. Apart from politics, when was it a norm that women should disrespect men in our (African) culture? Her command to Amaechi didn’t happen at the right time and without plan and was not supposed to happen any day.
As if Mrs. Jonathan is the President of our country, but even the president couldn’t have behaved in such oafish way, was she invited to Okrika to insult Amaechi? She forgot that ”First Lady” is self-styled, not a political position or domestic position in the Constitution of Nigeria. As far as the Constitution was concerned, there is nothing like the office of the First-Lady, except as sycophantic Presidents, Governors and Local Government Chairmen arrogate the office to their wives, which makes them (wives) behave drivel sometimes as if they wade any power as far as governance in Nigeria was concerned. And if this office is not scrapped, we may soon be having office of the first child or children. If that has not been functioning. No leader is supposed to bring what was supposed to be a family or love affair into governance except in Nigeria? Yet, while these men give their wives such priority to the numbing gestures of many Nigerians, women in politics are yet not satisfied.
To a large extent, Nigerian women have attracted much pity to themselves with their gender and liberation agitation, but this writer thinks that it ‘s the Nigerian men that now need liberation from the grip of women. Without amusement, Mrs. Jonathan’s piece on Amaechi dripped with harboured anger, sarcasm, hatred and unbridled feminism showcasing the devilish feminists axiom of What a man can do, a woman can do better. And we have started to see what Nigerian women can do when they eventually get the ”power”.
Apart from talking to Amaechi in that manner even a school pupil would like to avoid, Mrs. Jonathan talks sometimes for the emancipation of 35% Nigerian women into politics like one who is severely angry with men being majority in government. This could have born her ”Women for Change Initiative”; her pet project suspected would be a cult of women that would wrest power from the men.
But, she should not be sarcastic when the issue has to do with the differences between men and women. Why on earth should a mother abandon her children and wear Jeans and T-shirts to the field to ”equal” with the men? Any woman who is embittered that men took the leadership roles more than the women isn’t only sarcastic but is misleading the generation of unborn women. Millions of women today think that they can talk to any man as they want as far as their husbands control both the small and mighty in their domain, but such character is self-imposed and selfish. Imagine where a policewoman slaps a man and go free, but the reverse is the case when a policeman slaps a woman.
It is this shamefaced gender brouhaha that misinformed women are arrogantly clamouring for that has poisoned the minds of many innocent women and they find it hard to work not only under men, but with men in any place of work. Such women are even rebellious in marriage and anywhere they see that a man is in leadership. Did Mrs. Jonathan discuss the script she played in Rivers State with her husband before she did so? If she did not, would Mr. President scold her (as his wife) for not having in mind the fear of what his reaction could be? Many women do not think in that direction anymore, they loose anger to anybody, but it is the man that would be drawn to battle, when the time comes.
These ”women for change” in Nigeria always feel that they’re circumspect and very strong and can challenge any man in the wrestling ring. Are such women not paparazzo, always following every activity of the men to photograph to sell to the world so as to attract pity? Amaechi should be commended for not allowing Patience take photograph of him.
Amaechi exhibited rare maturity by absolving the command from Mrs. Jonathan, thereby making women who measure-up with men as misfits. Amaechi’ predisposition in that matter shows how coordinated men are, but reveals how undiscerning women always bring their selves to the gallery for people to watch how they live with their men at home. Amaechi has taught us how not to mind our women who wear gender agitation as garb and go around town in nude character. No one fights against nature. Hope Mrs. Jonathan would now be frowning in puzzlement because of her action except that she had political undertone in scolding Amaechi?
