By Nafisat Bello
“Someone has to break the glass ceiling. And once it is broken, everybody else comes clamouring up behind.” – Helen Clark
That was vintage Helen Clark, one of the iconic women of the 21st century who have inspired many others globally to aim high and cement their positions in the scheme of things. She was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand, the second woman to hold the position and the 5th longest in the country’s history. She was also a one-time Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Clark has been one of the drivers of the inspiring grass-to-grace stories of the past few decades, rising from a poor girl raised on a farm to the peak of her political career. She served in various cabinet positions before her election, first as Deputy Prime Minister and later Prime Minister, making her mark in ways that women all over the world are proud of.
By simple definition, the phrase ‘glass ceiling’ represents a systematic, mostly unofficial, sometimes unacknowledged, hindrance or hindrances put in the way of women and which stop them from advancing in their chosen careers and politics. The phrase was coined by celebrated management consultant, Marilyn Loden, over 40 years ago.
Since then, the world’s consciousness has been focused on the plight of women, especially the ambitious ones who have a lot to offer but are never given a chance to contribute their quota to governance and professional areas. The activism of people like Loden provoked the United Nations (UN) and its affiliates to come up with the 35 percent affirmative action and other initiatives meant to widen the political space for women.
Since the return of democracy in 1999, the wave of women’s demand for quality representation in politics and governance has hit Nigeria. Despite recent incidents that merely scratched the surface, the 2022 International Women’s Day themed, “Break the Bias” was dealt a painful blow as lawmakers in the National Assembly voted against all four bills for greater representation of women in politics and other sectors of society.
It is unfortunate that for centuries, the country has never had a female President, Vice President or elected Governor. The highest elective position a woman has attained is Deputy Governor The only female who ever crossed that lane was Dame Virginia Etiaba who was Deputy Governor of Anambra state and became Governor when her principal, Peter Obi, was impeached. She held the office for only three months as Obi was reinstated by the court.
But something that will change the fate of Nigerian women in politics forever is happening in the North-East after the emergence of the Senator representing Adamawa Central, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Aishatu Binani, as the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). She is contesting in the April 15 supplementary elections after the inconclusive March 18 poll.
Binani, one of the seven female senators in the 9th Assembly, has the distinction of being the only female senator from the North. She won the APC ticket after polling 430 votes to defeat Nuhu Ribadu, pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who got 288 votes. Others defeated include ex-governor, Muhammadu Jibrilla Bindow – 103 votes, and House of Representatives member, Abdurrazaq Namdas – 94 votes.
Binani’s victory against all odds caused instant and massive excitement in the gender community, an emergence many did not see coming. Her triumph is regarded as a watershed, and the closest a Nigerian woman has ever gotten to in their bid to finally shatter this glass ceiling that has held them down for decades.
Shortly after Binani’s victory, Nigeria’s First Lady Aisha Buhari issued a statement to celebrate the rise of another amazon from her darling state of origin. She described the lawmaker’s win as a source of encouragement and hope for many women. While pledging to support her to become governor, Mrs Aisha urged Binani to be resilient and overcome the proverbial ceiling.
Though the politician has become a household name since her historic emergence as the APC standard bearer in Adamawa, Binani is not new on the big stage having paid her dues in business, wealth creation, women and youth empowerment, politics and governance.
Before winning the election to represent Adamawa Central in the National Assembly, she represented Yola North/Yola South/Girei constituency in the Green Chamber during the 7th Assembly, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). She is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Born on the 11th of August 1971, Binani went through elementary education in Nigeria before travelling to the UK where she obtained a Higher National Diploma in Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton. She has successful companies to her name such as Binani Nigeria Ltd., Binwa Press Limited, Triangular Communications Ltd., Golden Crescent Nigeria Ltd., Infinity Telecoms Ltd and Quest Ventures.
In Adamawa, her generous gestures include sinking of boreholes, provision of scholarship for indigent students, provision of ICT facilities for schools, paying of medical bills, development of local health care services, economic empowerment programmes, etc. In the course of representing Adamawa Central, she is on record to have empowered a total of 1,667 young people through various skill acquisition initiatives.
Binani, who holds the title of ‘Gimbiyar Adamawa’ (The Princess of Adamawa), has both legislative experience and pedigree in turning nothing to something as she built her businesses from scratch to multi-million ventures. The people yearn for her leadership on the basis of capacity for good governance, her milk of human kindness and motherly instincts and problem-solving skills, all of which have been obvious in her adult life.
From all indications, Binani carries the hope of the Nigerian women to finally overcome the much-talked-about glass ceiling.
Nafisat Bello writes from Wuye District, Abuja. Email: [email protected]
