DSomoryn|20 November 2015|6:00am
The role played by the woman that sits by the President of every nation both in the psychological and emotional alignment of the President is invaluable either in the tuned nomenclature of “the First Lady” or “the Wife of the President”. She undoubtedly occupies a prime place and as a matter of fact, a primus inter parribus among the wives of the executive members, legislative members and the judiciary members and the entire women of the country. This woman contributes a quota to effective governance, supports as well as having the (cap)abilities to thwart the policies of her husband, can adequately strategize to deliver him or bond him. The power this woman wields can never be quantified. This woman is endowed with noble and exalted faculties that have nothing to do with her physiological endowments. While her intellectual flavor may spice the reign of her husband, her mental strength can make or mare the reign.
Either Taken from the pragmatic perspective or the literary standpoint, a realist is somebody who considers things as they are or appear to be, and avoids ideals and abstractions. In application to matters of ontology, politics inclusive, realism is standardly applied to doctrines which assert the existence of entities of some problematic or controversial kind. In this regards, the office of the First Lady or the wife of the President have posed itself to be a problematic or a controversial one that needs the scalpels of the science of Philosophy.
We must not be incognito that not just the democratic terrain but the Headship of the nation has always experience this problem of addressing or titling the office of the wife of the President as the First Lady of the country. The ‘Soldier Boys’ in their over 24 years of Headship ensured that their wives enjoys such tittles. This was not totally due to their ‘kaki thought’ pattern but in alliance or conformity to what became the ‘ought and norm’ of the century.
Historically, in the political sphere of influence, documented traces bears it that it’s the wife of the President of America that started the enjoyment of the nomenclature having it spread and copied by allying countries and even non-allying ones. Whereas, professionally, the title of a First Lady goes to women who are at the zenith of their carrier or profession. Most times, it’s used in addressing the female counterparts of outstanding men or the women of outstanding men of industries, companies, etc. It is also used to denote substantial women who occupy the foremost social positions within their localities, in this sense, being particularly popular in Africa, where the pre-eminent female noble are included in some chieftaincy hierarchies. That is meant that, women who have done greatly in their endeavours can be accorded a title to distinguish them from others while also encouraging them and motivating others to emulate them. In most exceptional achievements, when the man is capped, the wife is automatically qualified to answer the female equivalent name. Just as the saying goes “by every successful is a successful woman. For instance, The Ugep/Yakurr people have as the address of the wife or female counterparts of a male who is Obol (chief) as Obol-Yanen; the Igbos of Southeast Nigeria addresses the wife of Igwe as Lolo. The Northerners or preferably Islamic practitioners who are Alhaji will have their wives addressed as Hajia although the cannons states that she must have journeyed to and fro from Mecca. The Efiks would address the wife of an Obong (chief) as Obong-owan.. This runs in every cultural/traditional scenery and has permeated the political side of the society.
Nevertheless, in most monolinguistic nations there is a feminine name equivalent to that of the President used and reserved for their wives. For instance, Azerbaijan uses "Birinci xanım", Brazil, takes "Primeira-Dama", Cambodia prefers “Lok Chumteav", Colombia, peru, "Primera Dama" is used. For Czech Republic, První dáma is used, India, Indonesia uses, "Ibu Negara", Malawi, Maldives, New Zealand, Though with a language that is barren of gender differentiation, Philippines (Filipino: Unang Kabiyák. That’s first spouse), Poland uses “Pierwsza Dama”, South Korea uses "Yoeong-boo-in", Taiwan,Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, etc. But since, we are multilinguists, we can create and designate such office. We must look for a common understanding of this personality. This would make it impossible for anybody to at his/her freewill or disposition or due to personal reasons throw the office away. Maybe we need to start contemplating a one language for Nigeria.
The argument or contention flowing from the preceding paragraph is that, though in the present administration the office of the First Lady of the federation is being collapsed for the wife of the President, the same task is being performed. Hence, there is a dare need for a standard to be set for the purposes of the desired change and the betterment of the country. My take is that, though the President’s wife doesn’t operate under the title of First Lady she enjoys every single benefit as using the title. For instance, she will definitely have the self-desired number of aides as the other First Ladies which would all be catered for by Federal coffers; She would without doubt have an office complex to her satisfaction; she would travel and tour on official convoy and official rendezvous; media attention and hype as her husband; she would associate with her counterparts the world over not under the umbrella of the wives of Presidents (which they actually are) but as First Ladies of different nations. Let’s not forget that she is an automatic member of Africa First Ladies summit. A summit meant to congregates First Ladies of Africa to chat a way forward. Hence, Hilary Clinton has noted thus “issues affecting women (First Ladies) are not soft or marginal, but are central to decisions involving all nations (and their immediate nations in particular)”. This woman does not spend on/from her husband’s 'agbada' pocket but from the nation’s account. It wouldn’t be out of place for her to account on what has been spent by her since she would be officially budgeted for by the federation. We actually need to formally establish the office of the First Lady of the federation.
It’s on the above articulated propositions that that I call and urge not just the president but the entire nation to formerly (be the first nation) to create such a vital office, defining its boundaries and its jurisdiction to help reposition the country within the (cap)abilities of that office. That at vacating such office, the predecessor would have an inventory taken and passed on to her successor with a handover note just as it’s done with the office of the president. For the failure to do this, such seeming infinitesimal office would be use as a funnel to siphon, starch away the nations treasury within the time and space of such office without the occupant of that office facing any corruption charges of any sort. We have had it in the past how such undefined and unconstitutional office has been used to trammel and truncate constitutional/governmental policies without any wrath being raised by anybody. The only wrath of course that would have risen against such is the rule of the law but since the rule of the law measure with the constitution which this office is inexistent, it freezes because of its psychological powers. If we act now we can reconstruct our history. For as Thomas Sankara (1949 – 1987) of Burkina Faso held, revolution (change) and women's liberation go together. We do not talk of women's emancipation as an act of charity or because of a surge of human compassion. It is a basic necessity for the triumph of the revolution (change). Women hold up the other half of the sky. Hence, they deserve not just respect if not an enthusiastic acceptance but the accordance of their prime place.
The unavoidable reality is that, there is a First Lady necessitated by the emergence and personage of a President. Except in cases where the president is not married which existential factors would determine the deal to be done either to be replaced by the female sibling or the mother or the spouse intended to be the wife. The reality is that, if this wife of the president attends the forums of first ladies of the world, she is equally a First Lady, must be treated as such and must have to answer the title. Not to act as and use the title with all its accruing benefit, honour and other entitlements without accepting the title. We must accept the reality that it is and not shy away from such reality.
DSomoryn
Is a Public Affairs Analyst & Social Commentator
