Why are Nigerian Universities averse to female Presidents?
It is a right and NOT a privilege for women to contest and occupy leadership positions at the departmental and students’ union level.
It is a right and NOT a privilege for women to contest and occupy leadership positions at the departmental and students’ union level.
Like other universities in the world, the students’ union (SU) is a governing body that allows for student representation. The students’ union is there to advance students’ welfare and demand accountability from the university’s management. In Nigeria, there is an umbrella body for all existing students’ union known as the National Association of Nigerian Students’. And for most universities, the executive committee of the union consists of the:
President
Vice-President
General Secretary
Assistant General Secretary
Treasurer
House Secretary
Public Relations Officer
Sports Secretary
According to Wikipedia, some of the oldest students’ unions are dated as far back as the early 90s and were used to revolt against unjust systems. However, in the 2000s, students critical of the administration have been punished either by suspension or expulsion. This does not stop there, as students are obligated to fill indemnity forms that seek to regulate their freedom of association upon gaining admission into certain universities in Nigeria.
But I digress, the actual subject of discussion is why is female leadership frowned upon across most university campuses.
So in most universities, the authorities have put measures for those who are aspiring to be student leaders. One of these measures is that such students must have made a certain cumulative grade point average(CGPA). But an unspoken hindrance to participation in students politics in Nigerian universities is to just be a woman.
While the constitution of most universities is unarguably gender-neutral, For example, the constitution of the University of Ibadan:
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP AND PRIVILEGES
Student Union participation is open to every student. Class of Membership: The Union shall consist of:
(i) Ordinary Members
An ordinary member shall be any matriculated student of the University pursuing a full-time degree course of study, provided that such a student shall have paid his/her Union subscriptions.
The constitution above clearly shows that there are no restrictions based on gender before a student can contest for any position. But what is still the norm is that women are better encouraged to vie for positions such as secretary and vice-president.
We must concede that with over 10 decades of the naissance of students’ unions, it is appalling that only a handful of women have been ever occupied the positions of Senate President or SU President.
We must concede that with over 10 decades of the naissance of students’ unions, it is appalling that only a handful of women have been ever occupied the positions of Senate President or SU President.
Students who are females who decide to venture into campus politics are met with abhorrence; it is not shocking as it is a reflection of the larger society. However, the deprivation of women for consideration to be vetted in order to contest for leadership positions has to change on the basis that something must give if the plan is to change the status quo in Nigeria. As we speak, there is still a reduced number of female participation in politics.
With a high level of female enrollment into universities compared to the previous findings on Gender Analysis of Student Enrolment in Nigerian Universities. Where the analysis revealed that gap existed between female and male in the university enrolment with lower female enrolment in all aspects of the Universities, Kola and Nelson (2004).
The increased number of female enrolment should naturally change the status quo, sadly that is not the case as a student of one of the federal universities in Nigeria has this to say when asked if a female has ever been elected students’ union president, “No, we’ve never had a female SU president. On paper the school allows a female to become the SU president. In reality, it’s very different.” She said.
Another female student I interviewed said,” We’ve never even had a female Senate President. I contested once and the student affairs called me in to tell me a lady could never be allowed to become the Senate president. In their words (it’s not yet time for women to rule like that, the school has never had a female VC or a female Dean or Sub-dean, what does that tell you?).
“I went ahead to contest and lost, anyway.
“A female can, of course, be the general secretary, we only just had our first, anyway. Also, I was the first female clerk of the Senate. But that president and Senate president? It’s a No-No in this university.”
When I further asked how that made her feel, “I’m sure every female who is active in SU politics can relate, tho. So, it’s not anything new. “Go for the deputy, instead” is always the mantra,” she said.
On the other hand, a student of Benson Idahosa University said,” We didn’t have SU in my school, but we had departmental presidents and by the time I left, we’d gotten 4 presidents. There were other positions akin to the SU President position, and we had 2 women as presidents in my time.”
While this is commendable, this occurred less than two years ago as this student graduated from the university in 2019.
Furthermore, when asked if the females who contested and won faced hostility, he said,” I can’t say for other departments, but in mine, they never had such. 2 people just ran for the position and whoever won was president, the other became vice. However, females weren’t encouraged to run, until the International Studies & Diplomacy (ISD) lady won in her department and she started scattering everywhere.
“Also, we have a Resident Student Advisor(it’s a position kinda like SU president). There’s usually 2 of them a Male and a Female and while they’re technically equally ranked, the female is always treated as a vice. That has been changed because, in 2018, they created a new campus, so there’s now a superior that they answer to (like a general manager) and the last 2 have been female.”
Inspiration is essential to humans because it manifests in ways that set the mind to think the impossible, possible. Model precedence must be set for the coming female university students that leadership positions are gender-neutral in the constitution and as such must also be in practice.
In any case, here are some women who have defied the norm and went ahead to be firsts in their respective institutions. Lauretta Obakpolor, a student of the University of Benin was elected the first-ever female president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG).
Also, Ahmed Tawakalt Adeola, became known as the first students’ union president of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) having defeated her male challenger in an intensely contested students’ union election, breaking a long-standing 31-year-old jinx.
While the above examples took place in the last 8 to 6 years, about 30 years ago a front line activist and student politician, Najatu Mohammed, set the record and became the first SUG president of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Najatu Mohammed contested the post and won in the early 80s, setting the record of the first female student to occupy the office in Africa.
It is admirable that Ms Amina Yahaya, a 400L student at the department of English, Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, followed her set precedence and emerged as the second female SUG president of the university.
Because Alada(2011) posits that student unions assist students in developing their organisational abilities and strength of character that prepare them for greater responsibility in the near future. Also, a good student union leadership provides the opportunities and avenues for the student community to engage with the socio-economic and political spheres of the institution and the larger society.
One must then ask, If women are considered an integral unit of any progressive society, why are Nigerian universities averse to female Presidents? are we against a progressive society?
Or do we not want a society where women are better equipped with excellent organisational abilities and are better prepared for the larger society?
