Women in Politics!

The political drums have been rolled out in readiness for the forthcoming election in 2011. All the players are ensuring they are "well placed", with the "right political godfather", in the "right political party".

No sooner than Dr. Goodluck was sworn in as the President, people started telling him not to contest for Presidency because the Presidency was zoned to the North! Please let the guy settle down and serve Nigeria for the short time he has.

Politicians are swapping Parties, moving from their original Party to another. Simply put, the Politicians are making sure they are well aligned! Yet, others are doing last minute make over (as if the people are myopic or blind). Well, time will tell.

It is no longer news that Senator Gbemi Saraki wants to be the first female Governor of Kwara State. There is a website for that. However, the Supreme Council for Shariah in Kwara State recently issued a statement saying it is against Islamic Law for a female to be a leader!

Alhaji Tijani Edun, the state coordinator, said the legacy and Islamic culture will be destroyed if a female should rule the state come 2011. In an attempt to safe guard the Islamic culture, the Supreme Council for Shariah has called on all Muslims in the State to converge at the YIDI praying ground in Ilorin on the Sunday, 30 May 2010 for special prayers to ensure that a woman is not imposed as the next Governor.

As a Senator, representing a senatorial district, I believe she is a leader. As a leader, Gbemisola Saraki registered a foundation - the HAVE FOUNDATION to reach out to the poor in her constituency.

Through the foundation, she has been giving financial support to the needy. She has also purchased tractors with implements to assist rural farmers in land cultivation in her constituency. The empowerment programme has also benefited 33 people. One of them, Mallam Abdulrasaq Hossein Eja got a Mazda 626 for commercial purposes, while the remaining 32 got cash awards ranging from N450,000 to N15,000, hair dryers, grinding machines, sewing and pressing irons as well as motorcycles.

If the Supreme Council for Shariah hold strongly to the Islamic beliefs, why was Gbemisola (a serving Senator) voted to the National House of Assembly in the first place?

My history teacher, taught me about a Muslim female leader and warrior, known and addressed as QUEEN AMINA of Zaria. Hello! Amina of Zaria was a notable female Muslim leader!

I wonder, is the fight/prayer against Gbemi as a woman or against Gbemi as a SARAKI?

This is ODD!

Some days ago, I read the story of a 72 years old woman who claims to be in love with her grandchild and infact, she "wants to have his baby". This is so strange (at least in my own part of the world!). What sort of affection would a GRANDMOTHER have for her GRANDSON to the point that she is willing to pay $54,000 to the surrogate mother who would give birth to her grandchild’s baby?

After reading this article, I decided to do a search on the internet, and I saw the story here.

The 72 years old GRANDMA was qouted as saying: “I am not interested in anyone else’s opinion. I am in love with Phil …. Soon I’ll be holding my son or daughter in my arms and Phil will be the proud dad.”

The Grandson, Phil Bailey says he is in love . . . with his grandmother. In his own words, “I love Pearl . . . I’ve always been attracted to older women and I think Pearl is gorgeous. Now I’m going to be a dad …..We get laughed at and bullied when we go out and kiss in public…… You can’t help who you fall for.”

Please my people, are these two for real? Are they actually in their right senses? Just asking. . .

Source: The Sun News.

Mourning the President!

Finally, President Umaru Yar'adua has gone to rest.

News has it that he died yesterday after a prolonged battle with a heart ailment.

The Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan will now be sworn in as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Yar'adua is the fifth Nigeria ruler to die while in power.

Rest in peace Yar'adua.

God Bless Nigeria! Long live the Federal Republic in Nigeria!

Imagine this!

That Alhaji Sani Ahmed Yerima has a taken another child as his new wife is no longer news. However, what is new and news to me is the fact that this old man was quoted as saying he has not done any wrong! Hello! Talk about cradle snatching! Talk about child abuse!

It would be recalled that sometime in the year 1999, Sani Yerima, who was the Governor of Zamfara State declared that his State - Zamfara, was adopting the Sharia Legal system. That single act generated a lot of debates and it was greatly criticized.

Now, Yerima, a serving Senator, is in the news again. His latest wife is a child! She is just 13 years old for crying out loud!

I have had discussions with some moslems and one thing I have learnt from these discussions is that the Qur'an only permits marriage to more than one woman, on the condition that the man can support and treat them equally. Yap! The Qur'an does not make it mandatory to marry more than one wife! That is one part most moslems omit when relying on the provisions permitting them to marry more than one wife!

Yerima, who was born sometime in the year 1960, paid a whooping sum of $100,000 approximately (N15,000,000) as the bride price for this child and the wedding was allegedly conducted at the National Mosque in Abuja!

Nigerian women senators and various Women's Groups made this information known by writing a petition to the Senate. Following the petition, the Senate has ordered an investigation into this allegation - that one of its members married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl.

The groups also want the senate to "estabish the legality or otherwise of this action, considering the high personal status of Senator Yerima, his status in society as a lawmaker and leader and the negative effect of such acts on the image of Nigeria".

In an attempt to raise a defence, Yerima said in a BBC telephone interview that he has not violated any rule as far as Islam is concerned. "I don't care about the issue of age since I have not violated any rule as far as Islam is concerned," he said.

THE CHILD RIGHTS ACT
In 1989, world leaders saw that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too. To this end, there was a Convention for the Rights of the Child which was adopted by the UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

By virtue of this Convention, every Member State is mandated to ensure that the principles of the Convention are implemented in their Countries. On this note, Nigeria passed this Convention into Law in July 2003. Under the Nigeria Child Rights Act, betrothal and marriage of children (as defined by the Act) is prohibited. The penalty/punishment is a fine of N500,000 {(£2,000) ($3,320)} or imprisonment for 5 years or both (ie fine and jail term).