Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Special Assistant to the President on African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM), Dr. Mairo Al-Makura, has called for specified legal roles for the Office of the First Lady particularly in Nigeria and Africa at large.
She said such roles would promote continuity, accountability, and streamlining of development initiatives, noting that the current scenario where every First Lady came with her own programmes, which often disappeared at the expiration of the husband’s tenure was a major setback to national development.
Al-Makura, a former First Lady of Nasarawa State, made the call at the national summit on “Emerging Trends in the Role of First Ladies in National Development” held at the Conference Hall of the State House, Abuja
She said such would promote continuity, accountability, and streamlining of development initiatives.
She noted that the current scenario where every First Lady comes up with her programme, which often disappears at the expiration of the husband’s tenure was a major setback to national development.
Dr. Al-Makura, who was also a former First Lady of Nasarawa State, made the call at the national summit on “Emerging Trends in the Role of First Ladies in National Development” held at the Conference Hall of the Aso Presidential Villa on Thursday.
She said: “Over time, the Office of the First Lady in Nigeria and indeed Africa has been a subject of debate and even controversy as to their essence and roles, given that Africa is a largely patriarchal society and that the Office of the First Lady is neither elected nor stated in the constitution, but only established by conventions emulated from more advanced democracies.