MY ADMINISTRATION WILL IMPLEMENT THE 35 PERCENT GENDER POLICY APPROVED BY LAW IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN
- APGA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CHIEF PETER UMEADI
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is a high caliber legal luminary who was once the Chief Judge of Anambra State. In this exclusive interview, he spoke on the need for his government to empower women through implementing the gender policy as prescribed by the law. He also spoke on the country’s economy, security and other vital national issues. Enjoy reading this interesting session.
It’s a pleasure being with you sir, can you briefly introduce yourself?
I am Peter Umeadi. I am the presidential candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). I was the Chief Judge of Anambra State from 2011 to 2019 and I retired in 2019. In March 2019, I was appointed the visiting professor in Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus where am teaching law up till date.
Thereafter, I joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance in March 2019 at my ward, Onyi Ward 1 in Anambra State and I declared my intention to contest the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at that event. On the 1st of June 2022, I became the presidential candidate of APGA to contest for the office of president of Nigeria on February 25, 2023.
What are some of the projects, empowerment you’ve done before now and what next are you preparing for the girl child and the women at large?
Well…I have done quite a lot in my state as a judicial officer, especially as Chief Judge. One of the areas that I got interested in and got involved facilitation of the child rights act. I was opportune to be sent to seminars in Kaduna by my Chief Judge at that time, that was in 2008 trying to encourage states in the country to domesticate the child’s right act. And as am speaking with you now, only about five states have not domesticated that act. So, a lot of progress is going on in that aspect and it’s an area where am very much interested in because I believe the development of a child is the basis of developing any nation. Be that so, I intend to concentrate my work more on that and see that all the states in Nigeria domesticate that act and that, that act will be implemented to the fullest because when you talk about the child rights act, you are talking about issues of vulnerability of those who cannot fend for themselves. Of course, it is the duty of the state to do so. Then that vulnerability goes on in that stream with the child, with women and when it comes to that same gender issue with the girl child, I found out that my concentration is to benefit the girl child in particular viz-a-viz the boy child and see that they are treated at par and if we progress to a achieve the fact that every child ought to be in school up to 18 years, then we will continue to make sure that no girl child is dropped from school for any reason untill she attain the age of 18.
Looking at your manifesto, you emphasize on the girl child act, what are you going to do to ensure the law is executed nationally?
Yes, thank you. We would uphold neccesary customs and practices that are progressive and dignifying. When you talk about laws, they are the foundations surrounding the society and if you know that women possess necessary skills and this are what we need to develop Nigeria with and if we agree that women are at par in terms of numbers with men in Nigeria going by the last census and then you find out that the right to dignity which is the foundation of all human rights should be respected in the interest of women and then men too, the aged, youths and children in all the laws. You can see the progression that Nigerian laws have taken in upholding the inheritance rights of women especially in this environment where these things were not there before. We are in age where women themselves will want to say, no we are not involved in this. Like when we want to talk about the hereditary, property sharing of the family. A woman has the right to say that this is not exactly what I want. If my father have lived a cosmopolitan life, then I would have been entitled to the property.
Generally, I would encourage that all persons who go through trainings, we would urge them to take the best that will serve a purpose and if the best man for the job is a woman, then, I will gladly put a woman there.
The girl and women right law is one you intend to put into action, how do you ensure the enforcement of this law considering its importance?
Let me make it clear, I run on the rule of law, separation of powers and due process. Now the question you are asking duels more on separation of powers. If am elected as president of Nigeria, I will be running the executive arm of government. I will not interfere with the process of lawmaking, I will not interfer with the the process of adjudication upon the laws by the judiciary. So, if there are laws or practices that surrounds these arms of government duely separated, of course, as president of Nigeria, I will give it a full backup. So, the clarification there, is that it is not for the president to begin to say what must happen at any point where the rights of a woman or a girl child is involved but we’re talking about whatever laws that comes out from those elected to make the laws who are, of course close to the environment where these laws are to be applied, they will have the official backing if the government which I head. So, in order words, making it clearer, it is not for me as president of Nigeria to begin to go and see what laws to be made for different parts of Nigeria to apply and solve the issue of vulnerability of women and whichever law that I pass that are progressive and dignifying, it will be backed by the government.
When it comes to insecurity in the country now like kidnappings, a lot of youths are into it because of joblessness. As Nigeria’s president, how will you create jobs for the youths?
Yes…it’s a phenomenon that we will have to agree that is present with us today as things have showed. What we are thinking is that if we recover our education curricula and we have schools to follow what we call the German model, the German model is such that everybody start together until middle school, then those who have the propensity to technical education will follow the technical line and graduate into skill acquisition where the skill acquisition development facilities are made available for them and then, they come out from there, acquiring the proper skills, employing themselves and helping to employ others. Those who want to go to the formal one, continue in grammar school and come out to get into the university and develop in that area. So, it’s going to take time but then, that is why essentially, the manifesto which I have before me made it clear that the philosophy of APGA as a political party under which am running rest squarely on social progress. Now the essence of social progress is the ability to achieve their life ambitions in a setting presenting a level playing field and predetermined standards. That is the essence of social progress which have been further defined as to create conditions for individuals to reach their full potentials. Now, the whole essence of this description is that we have to create the change on the ground and that is why I think that the trust of APGA presidency under my watch will be to develop the people, will be to invest on the people because I think that the payback that will come out from that is going to be faster than building machines and all kinds of structures that you are going to borrow money for and then begin to have a lay out on how those interferences that are going on while the people that you are governing are in no way obtaining any form of support for their sustenance. So, the basic thing that will cure what we have changed from day one of APGA presidency is what I call care. APGA social progress rests on care
Care for the man, care for the benefit woman, care for the child, care for the disabled, care for the environment and if we now begin to take this care for instance, the girl child who has veered into crime, alongside with the boy child and the students and then we impact skills into then, exposing then to IT, the technology part of it, these things come up quickly. Of course we know that we have Nollywood which is the second in the world in that area. These are soft areas where government will invest heavily. Tell people how to use their talents to begin to find a livelihood. Of course, everything is tied to school and then that means if it’s tied to school, up to that 18 years, we’ll try to make the tuition free so that everybody will go to school. But the essence of all am trying to describe to you is that the road we are going to take is the road that is going to yield dividends very quickly. But not just yielding dividends, to bring people who are going to use their brains to begin to factor out the bigger thing the country should do but the interim, to sustain the people and stop the people from veering into crimes and also prevents what Julius Nyerere mentioned in 1976 when he came to Enugu about the disaster of having African children go to bed hungry
These days, it’s bir just African children, we are talking about African parents.
What else can you say about gender inequality?
Yes, I have said it clearly that we are going to implement the 35 percent which the Nigerian gender policy has prescribed. Hold me to that, I will carry to the letter the 35 percent alternative action as the standard minimum but don’t forget what I said that if I should go to screen people and that the best man for the job is a woman, I will place the woman there. That is outside the standard 35. Anywhere that I have a job placement and a woman is the best man for the job, I will put the woman there.
Thank you very much.
