One morning in London, we were all getting into a shared taxi- my wife, another lady and I - when a surprising occurrence transpired. I sat in the back with my wife while the woman made to sit in the front. The moment she sighted me she asked if I wanted to sit in the front. I politely declined.
For one, I had no reason to sit separately from Iya Ara. Also, this lady had already taken the front seat so why would I usurp it? She later told me why she behaved that way.
She said she was from Georgia (the country) and out there men were expected to sit in the front of a car when present. Interesting.
The impetus behind this piece is obviously the disingenuous gaffe of the President of Nigeria. Statements credited to him emerged earlier today wherein he allegedly said his wife 'belongs in my kitchen, my living room and the other room'.
Ouch.
To think that he made this kind of utterance in Germany, a very prosperous country being run by a woman with a PhD in Chemistry, is sad. Whatever rebuttals are given against him will be in order.
Such a statement was unbecoming of any man, not to speak of a leader of almost 200 million people.
The events leading up to this statement are irrelevant. While I would hope my own wife never goes public about my misgivings, how I respond to such an admonition is absolutely my responsibility. He goofed.
To be sure, we still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to gender equity. The societies that have pushed further for women suffrage have their own problems today also, but that is not our topic for today.
A man does not decide where a woman belongs.
A woman decides where she belongs.
And when she gets there, she becomes a Queen.
One thing many men don't understand is that outside of all the studying, working and other mundane things we do as adults, women actually desire good men. Indeed, quite strongly.
Come to America and I'll show you women in their late 30s, early 40s who have spent a lot of time doing 'everything a man can do' and now they earnestly crave a marriage of their own.
They want to belong.
It is just that good men to whom they can safely belong are not enough in number or proximity.
Only a day ago, 21 innocent girls had been emancipated from the worst savagery conceivable. The men who did that to them obviously had an impression of where women belong. While most men disagree with what these monsters did, their perception of the value or place of women in the society may not be too divergent from the cult I will not dignify with a mention.
So, where do women belong?
The answer is simple.
They belong in our HEARTS.
Women gave birth to us.
Women raised us.
Women supported us immensely when we were far away from our immediate family and we had no support.
Women promoted us from being on our own to having a family of our own.
Women held us together when all else was crumbling around us.
Women complete our world, or better put, THE world.
Give it a thought: how would the world be without women? Even God had a clear picture of it.
It was NOT a good world.
While we do not want to blow this out of proportion or impugn the motive of the man who said these things, let us take sides with propriety.
Women belong in our hearts.
Keep your woman in your heart and she will excellently man your kitchen, your living room and your 'other room' (to use his phrase) .
Good night.

- Akintunde Akinola

I don't know how we always end up with mediocres as President.