This is a great show. I've only watched 3 episodes and am already addicted. Geena Davis makes a credible president inadvertently thrust into the most powerful office in the world with the death of her predecessor. The problem facing her is not just her femininity but also that she is an independent candidate. Brilliant plot! However, I wish to review the Nigerian sub plot in the movie that portrayed a lot of factual inaccuracies.
In the movie, one Odia something, a Nigerian Muslim woman has been convicted of adultery and condemned to death by stoning. The President (then Vice President) in an effort to save the woman from her death tries to enlists the help of the French Government to intercede with poor results. Then when she suddenly becomes the President she invites the Nigerian Ambassador to the White and threatens military option if Nigeria does not release the woman to American marines.
This sub plot is an obvious reference to the story of Amina Lawal who was convicted for having a child out of wedlock and sentenced to death by stoning. That is where the similarities end.
The TV show implies that the punishment was sanctioned by the Federal Government. Not true. Lawal was convicted by a Sharia court in one of the Northern states where sharia law is most dominant. On appeal to the Sharia High Court, her appeal was dismissed. A lot of protests were staged both in Nigeria (among both Christians and Muslims), and overseas. Her lawyers comprised Muslim women who vigorously defended her. On further appeal to Sharia Court of Appeal, she won and the sentence against her was dismissed.
In an almost laughable scene, the Nigerian Ambassador to US(who seems too young to occupy such a highly rated position)is invited to the White House where President Mackenzie threatens our country with military invasion if Lawal is not released. The ambassador takes the threat seriously and acts accordingly.
In actual fact, the Nigerian Ambassador A.A. Agada was opposed to the death sentence and came out vigorously to defend Amina and assured the world that her constitutional right to fair trial will not be violated.
In addition, the Federal Government could not take any official position as her case was still being determined by the courts. In all honesty, even if she had been found guilty at the end of all appeals, it is most likely that President Obasanjo (himself a Christian) would have stepped in to grant leniency. The Federal Government has never supported such barbaric death penalties like stoning.
Another angle in the TV show that rankled was that Odia was incarcerated in the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos. This also goes to imply that she was a prisoner of the Federal Government. Kirikiri Prison is a maximum detention facility for those perceived to be political dissidents, drug barons and extremely dangerous criminals. There is no way that a person tried under a Sharia criminal jurisprudence in the North can be sent to Kirikiri. NO WAY! She will be sent to one of the prisons in Northern Nigeria because that is their jurisdiction but never to Lagos and certainly not to Kirikiri.
Now that I have done my patriotic duty by showing the flaws where it concerns my country, I can continue to enjoy the show.
In the movie, one Odia something, a Nigerian Muslim woman has been convicted of adultery and condemned to death by stoning. The President (then Vice President) in an effort to save the woman from her death tries to enlists the help of the French Government to intercede with poor results. Then when she suddenly becomes the President she invites the Nigerian Ambassador to the White and threatens military option if Nigeria does not release the woman to American marines.
This sub plot is an obvious reference to the story of Amina Lawal who was convicted for having a child out of wedlock and sentenced to death by stoning. That is where the similarities end.
The TV show implies that the punishment was sanctioned by the Federal Government. Not true. Lawal was convicted by a Sharia court in one of the Northern states where sharia law is most dominant. On appeal to the Sharia High Court, her appeal was dismissed. A lot of protests were staged both in Nigeria (among both Christians and Muslims), and overseas. Her lawyers comprised Muslim women who vigorously defended her. On further appeal to Sharia Court of Appeal, she won and the sentence against her was dismissed.
In an almost laughable scene, the Nigerian Ambassador to US(who seems too young to occupy such a highly rated position)is invited to the White House where President Mackenzie threatens our country with military invasion if Lawal is not released. The ambassador takes the threat seriously and acts accordingly.
In actual fact, the Nigerian Ambassador A.A. Agada was opposed to the death sentence and came out vigorously to defend Amina and assured the world that her constitutional right to fair trial will not be violated.
In addition, the Federal Government could not take any official position as her case was still being determined by the courts. In all honesty, even if she had been found guilty at the end of all appeals, it is most likely that President Obasanjo (himself a Christian) would have stepped in to grant leniency. The Federal Government has never supported such barbaric death penalties like stoning.
Another angle in the TV show that rankled was that Odia was incarcerated in the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos. This also goes to imply that she was a prisoner of the Federal Government. Kirikiri Prison is a maximum detention facility for those perceived to be political dissidents, drug barons and extremely dangerous criminals. There is no way that a person tried under a Sharia criminal jurisprudence in the North can be sent to Kirikiri. NO WAY! She will be sent to one of the prisons in Northern Nigeria because that is their jurisdiction but never to Lagos and certainly not to Kirikiri.
Now that I have done my patriotic duty by showing the flaws where it concerns my country, I can continue to enjoy the show.