The women marched to the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola where they delivered a letter. Governor Fashola received the women's letter, promising to deliver it to President Goodluck Jonathan. The protesting women repeatedly claimed that the proposed Mission House is "for President Goodluck Jonathan's wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan."
The impression being given to the general public is an erroneous notion that the FCT wants to build a "Mission house" for Dame Patience Jonathan, which of course, is contrary to information available on the whole matter. If the group of protesters had done a little homework, they would have known that the building being proposed is a permanent secretariat for the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM). The building is not for an individual person and certainly not to be the property of Dame Patience Jonathan.
The AFLPM Secretariat is for the work of whoever occupies the seat as Nigeria's first lady and who automatically by that position is a member of the AFLPM. When that individual ceases to be first lady of her country, she also ceases to be a member of AFLPM as membership of the body is open only to African First Ladies.
I am all for our constitutional rights of freedom of expression, freedom of association and the freedom to march but if we do so, we must understand what we are agitating about and articulate our points with honest precision so that we do not misinform. If the protesting women cannot do that much… they can all march off to Timbuktu!!
Aisha Ibrahim, a public commentator sent this article from Lagos
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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