Since assuming office as Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu has made 20 key appointments, including service chiefs, but only four women made the cut.

Development Diaries reports that the Nigerian leader had promised to feature women and youths ‘prominently’ in his administration.

Tinubu promised, as contained in the manifesto of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he would ensure good representation of women and young people.

He also reiterated the promise in his inaugural address as president on 29 May, 2023.

However, he has made 20 key appointments, including the service chiefs, so far and only four women made the cut: Special Advisor, Energy, Olu Verheijen; Special Advisor, Health, Salma Ibrahim Anas; Special Advisor, Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman; and Special Advisor, Culture and Entertainment Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa.

Reacting to this, the Executive Director of Invictus Africa, Adebukola Shonibare, said the president had yet to show commitment to ensuring women’s inclusion in governance.

In a Twitter Space conversation monitored by Development Diaries, Shonibare lamented what appears to be the poor inclusion of women so far in the president’s administration.

‘Let us juxtapose that with the president’s words in his renewed manifesto where he said and I quote, they “will increase women’s participation in government to at least 35 percent of all government positions”‘, she said.

‘So far, the president has appointed about 20 people and out of those 20 people, women are just 10 percent exactly.

‘If we look at the body language of the president so far, based on what we are seeing, he is not yet meeting up with the comments that he has made in terms of social inclusion and political empowerment.

‘When it was time to nominate principal officers of the national assembly, the president did not nominate any woman.

‘So, even if we consider the zoning that the APC and the president put on the table, are we saying we don’t have qualified, experienced and competent women in those geopolitical zones where these people were from?’.

As the nation awaits the appointment of ministers and other key policymakers, Development Diaries calls on President Tinubu to fulfil his campaign promise to feature women and youths ‘prominently’ in his administration.

We also call on the president to ensure inclusivity in his government by appointing qualified and competent young Nigerians, including people living with disabilities, to serve in his administration.

Photo source:  Bola Tinubu