35% Quota: Tinubu Should Have Nominated More Female Ministers, Says Niger Senator Musa

Representative member of the Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, stated the need to consider more women in the cabinet and has spoken on efficiency of government through rationalisation.

In an interview with ARISE NEWS, while senator Musa emphasised on giving the president credit for the calibre of women he has nominated, he said “gender sensitivity has to be looked into.

“We should have considered more. If we cannot meet the 35% affirmative action standard, we should be able to do more.

“The president has done it right. We will only appeal that, in his wisdom, when the next opportunity comes, more women will be considered.”

He stated, “I want to believe that if there will be room for any cabinet, we should see any of our male nominees that are not performing well in office in the next 3 to 6 months, and we change it by looking at those best women that will perform.”

Since 1999, no Nigerian president has achieved the affirmative action goal of 35% female representation set forth in the National Gender Policy of 2006.

Furthermore, Senator Musa identified the need to look into the redundancy of some parastatals in the country in an effort to bring forth efficiency in the government.

He said, “When you’re talking of reducing the size of governance, I don’t think it is in terms of appointees. What I feel is that there should be rationalisation in some of the MDA’s especially those that are very redundant, but yet they tap into the national budget. I think that is the area we should always seek to look into rather than talking about who Mr. President has appointed.

“In his wisdom, I’m sure he knows what he wants to do, and we shouldn’t jump the gun.

The senator also spoke on the screening process of the ministerial list saying that people’s expectations need to be equated with the realities on ground.

He said, “Senate procedures are run by an order. We have an order book. We have a standard in which we operate within the senate. What you see outside cannot be exactly what we should be doing here. 

“When people are talking about we just telling people to take a bow and leave, they do not know the standard at which the parliament operates, and in the case of others, if you can recall, there are some of these nominees that have stayed up to one hour standing answering questions.”

He added, “We are only there in order to get some of these things that these people will be able to tell us about themselves about what they think they can do to move this country forward. The real confirmation is going to be squarely a senate affair whereby only senators will sit and deliberate on each of the nominees that have been nominated.” 

Frances Ibiefo

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