Nigeria should have female governor by now – Veteran actress, Joke Silva

Joke Silva, a legendary Nigerian actress, has lamented the exclusion of women from leadership positions in the country.

According to the award-winning thespian, women were at the forefront of leadership in Nigeria prior to independence but have since lost control.

In a recent interview with TVC, Joke Silva stated that Nigeria should have at least one democratically elected female governor by now.

She contended that First Lady Oluremi Tinubu is the only woman with the necessary experience to hold the coveted position of number one citizen.

Silva said: “In the area of leadership, especially political leadership, women have regressed. I mean, we had some really powerful women. You mentioned Fumilayo Kuti earlier. All these powerful women. There were so many of them spread around the nation. So, you expect them to grow in numbers by now.

“At least by now, we should have had a female governor. Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu for one, in contemporary Nigerian politics, is probably the most experienced female politician. She was just in the Senate for a long time and now she is the First Lady.

“But the thing is this: how many others? But we have so many male senators. It goes back to what late Chief MKO Abiola used to say: ‘A nation clapping with one hand.’ How do you clap? How is it heard?”

Virginia Ngozi Etiaba, the first woman who served as governor in 2006, was not elected. She had taken over Anambra State’s affairs after former Governor Peter Obi was impeached by the state legislature.