” Diezani would not be have been harshly judged if she was a man” -Chiamanda

Award-winning Nigerian author, Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie who was recently awarded an honorary degree at the University of Edinburg while speaking at the University of Edinburg was of the opinion that former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke who is faced with fraud allegations would not be so terribly criticised if she was a man.

Chiamanda asserts that looting is a common practice in Nigeria by politicians and Diezani’s case is no exception and that the mentality that women should act like an angel should not be nurtured.

The acclaimed novelist known for her popular feminist speeches said “ We shouldn’t assume that because a person is born a woman, that person is somehow just one step lower than an angel. I find it quite dehumanizing for women because what it means is that women cannot be judged on the same terms as men.”

“I remember once a politician in Nigeria who was a woman had stolen money which is an exercise most politicians are very adept at, she was pilloried, I remember a journalist saying ‘and she’s a woman’.”

“Somehow the assumption was it will be better if she was a man because then Nigerians would not judge her harshly since we expect men to steal.”

“I think the idea of women being another specie of angel is bad for both women and men because it makes the standards uneven. I dream of a world in which women are seen as women where women are allowed to be many things.”