By Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor
I must confess that I was a bit upset about the image that some of the readers who responded to the piece above are giving to our Nigerian women.

Obviously, they’re not referring to every Nigerian woman, but to say that our women in offices compete with the men in avarice, greed, and fraud, is bad news for the nation.

No human being is perfect, but the woman as the home-maker and the child-rearer, should endeavour not to embrace those societal ills, so that she can have the sort of clean character that her children can emulate.

I’m not saying that the views of those readers are totally wrong. Not so long ago, we were counselled that when asking for directions on the road, make it a point to ask a female because she was bound to direct one aright. Or, when you want to board a bus, don’t board the one that has only males on board. Sadly, this is no longer the case as we hear of women being part of gangs who rob people on the road and on the buses.

We know that these are bad economic times, but women have to remember that theirs, whatever their social level, is the task of raising worthy well-adjusted citizens for the nation.

Let’s hope that our religious leaders and those non-government organisations  (NGOs) that work among women, would help inculcate this in our female-folk.

“Aunty Helen, with regard to ‘Women should be allowed more elective positions.’ Nigerian men and women in politics today, both have insatiable appetite for money! None of the female legislators at the National Assembly rejected the unauthorised jumbo salaries that they have been paid. Have you ever heard that a woman snatched a poor man from his wife? No. Women are always going after wealthy men, and that is why there are so many Husband Snatchers around. —From Celestine, mnse.frc.”

“Hi Helen! Because you’re a lady, one appreciates your concern over the participation of the femalefolk in government, but the nation’s problem is not a sex thing. Recent events show that our ladies can compete with men in fraud, greed, avarice and other vices.

What we need are strict laws to enforce discipline in all areas of life. Gender has nothing to do with it. — Dicks Nnaji, Agbani, Enugu.

“Sarah Jibril contested at the recent PDP presidential primary. In spite of the many women delegates there, she got only one vote – that is, she voted for herself. What have you to say about that?”

“Dear Helen, there is nowhere in the world that power is being shared out like akara or beans. Nigerian women are to fight for power if they really think they have some better  services to offer this country. They are to support themselves. For example, in retrospect, what happened at the recent PDP primary will tell you that Nigerian women only pay lip-service to supporting their fellow women get into political offices.

Of the 3,542 valid votes cast at the primary, no fewer than 800 were from the women and the only female contestant at the convention got just one vote. It might interest you to know that the one vote recorded for her was the one she cast for herself. Even the Minister for Women’s Affairs who has been preaching about support for women in  politics did not vote for Sarah Jibril. So, how do you expect to see more women in elective positions with this attitude from the Nigerian women? — Akase, Gboko.

“Madam, one can say that Nigerian women are not sincere in their quest to share power with men. Why do I say this? Unlike the men who are most of the time there for one another, the Nigerian woman who wants power is selfish. If she’s running an NGO, it is about herself, not the cause she’s seeking to promote.

And, woe betide any fellow woman who’s in it with her. No matter how chummy they are at the outset, they’re bound to split due to the selfishness of each of them. In the face of this, they can never unite to promote their fellow women. If they really want to get anywhere in this country, let them resolve  to promote other women other than themselves. We have intelligent and achieving  women in this country who can hold any high position, but until their fellow women stop  being divisive, they can’t get anywhere. The moaning will continue. —  Ronke, Ibadan.”

“Our women are being allowed to grow by the men in this country, but the problem is that they would rather support a man for a position than their fellow woman. They shout about being marginalised and all that, but secretly, they dislike promoting one another. We shall get somewhere in the scheme of things when we unite. Thanks  — Patty, Warri.”

“Auntie Helen, I like that your write-up, urging that women be given more elective positions. It should indeed, be made mandatory for the state and federal governments to ensure that they share power with the femalefolk, up to the 35  per cent that the United

Nations recommended. That said, it shouldn’t be just any woman that’s called upon to serve. They should be honest and serious-minded women who will not use their positions to enrich themselves and their families, or engage in frivolous spending. We are sick and tired of such women who are bad examples of what the average Nigerian woman is. Unfortunately, it is such women who get called to serve, most of the time. The number of women who are called to serve on good merit is minimal, so, most of those who would have done us proud with their diligence are left behind. Young women badly need good role models in the society they can emulate to uplift the image of the Nigerian woman in service. Thank you, ma. Ebi, Port Harcourt.”

“Madam, I’m female and I believe women should be allowed positions from where they can contribute to nation development, but in order to get such women, we have to purge them first of the scourge of being a Nigerian in power. That is the only way they can render service that will bring us honour. The average Nigerian in political position is power-drunk, selfish, greedy and thieving. What’s more, this attitude is infectious, so, if a person of integrity is appointed, in no time, he’s sucked into the system, and he wants to be above the law, grab public funds with nothing to show for it, and spend most of his term in office, plotting to be brought back. No credible work is done and he doesn’t care. Who is he accountable to? No one. This is what happens to  women in political positions too, no matter what integrity she possessed before getting in. A person has to be very disciplined not to succumb. We should field only women who are impervious to this ill.  — Hauwa, Kano”

We thank all those who wrote in.