WHITE HOUSE AND AFRICANS' LOVE FOR SONS.

The President of the United States in modern times is the most powerful man on the planet. An alliance with him is profitable. His policies influence world economy and his diplomacy brings peace to troubled lands. A face-off with him means war. In no way can the power of POTUS be undermined.

Since the days of fmr. President Bill Clinton, the White House has not been 'graced' with a son. Bill Clinton has only one child - a daughter. George Bush has twin girls and out-going President Obama has two daughters.

In our African society, such a status may seem incomplete if not disregarded if a man has no son. Of course it is not statutory but it is imbedded in the fibre of our ways. Men who have achieved (relative) greatness in this clime desire to bequest them to heirs. It is considered by some a misfortune if they have no male progeny. In a quest to be 'a complete man', at best some men would burden their wives to continue having babies until a son or sons come their way. In worse situations, the man takes another wife who is expected to lay the golden egg(s). Men have been known to employ many other desperate measures in other to have a son.

History has shown us that this quest is not peculiar to us. King Henry VIII in his quest to bear a (legitimate) heir broke away from the Catholic faith, alongside everyone under his reign. The Catholic Church prohibited him from divorcing his wife who did not bear him a son to marry another who he had hoped would give him a male child. We all know how the story played out. Maybe fate decided to play a joke on him. He went on to marry 8 different women but he still died without the heir he felt he desperately needed.

Fortunately, his female child Queen Elizabeth 1 went on to become one of the greatest Monarchs ever to have ruled England till date. Her reign saw England through dire times and she pulled her country through it all. If only her Father fathomed that whatever an heir could do, an heiress could do even better. For the life and times of Queen Elizabeth 1 proved that.

Presidents of the United States in three succession did not bear male children but still they literally ruled the world. It did not make them wield less power or command less influence. They remained with their wives and they strived for other goals aside bearing a son. Our African society needs to learn from that. Not having a son does not make any man less great, neither does having an abundant number of sons make one a great(er) man. In some situations, it has even led some men to an early grave as their sons fight over who would have what.

I feel for those women who wallow in pity, feeling as though they are yet to bear their husbands 'a golden crown'. In my culture, a mother of an-all-female children feel like they are not yet rooted in their matrimonial homes. I challenge any of such women. If they ever coincidentally run into Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush or Michelle Obama, they should feel free and ask them how well-rooted they are in their matrimonial homes. I know we belong to different cultures, but we all are human beings and it is our everyday behavior that cumulates into a culture. We must stop putting ourselves and others into sad situations. As these women continue to sob and pray for a son everyday, what then do they expect women that have no children at all to do?

Children are blessings from God. Naturally, it requires no exceptional hardwork to procreate. And there is no discriminatory process in birthing a boy or a girl. So why would one command a sense of pride and the other a passive-sense of gratitude.

President Obama achieved all he has achieved with the support of his wife and two daughters. As the world prepares usher in Donald Trump, a father of three sons, let us see what difference 'first sons' will make. It's been 24 years since we last had any. Admittedly, first sons do not perform badly, for we have recorded a 'first son' who returned to the White House as President himself.