When will change come for Nigerian women?

MRS. AISHA Buhari, Mrs Osinbajo, Mrs Saraki and Mrs

Dogara: when will change come for Nigerian women?The

rights of women and girls have, traditionally and historically,

been seen as a “soft” issue, particularly in the developing

world.

That is, something occasionally trendy which officials in

both the public and private sector (or their wives) have

dabbled in. In Nigeria, it is difficult to separate feigning

social consciousness from contrived publicity stunts

unfortunately.

Amartya Sen, a Nobel prize winning economist, famously

said “more than 100 million women are missing,” stating

that women normally live longer than men but that in many

parts of the world, the violence and discrimination women

face means they simply “vanish”.

This euphemism, or milder, more elegant word to describe

the dispiriting loss of millions of women to deaths caused

by backwardness and illiteracy masquerading as culture

and tradition, is a brutal yet unacknowledged truth in

Nigeria. How many women and children has Nigeria lost

due to the inefficiencies of our government over the past 50

years?

In the Western world, “gender discrimination” means

unequal pay or sexual harassment. In Nigeria, we remain at

the stage of fundamental indignities and injustices, which

continue to occur on a daily basis.

For all of the luxury boutiques Nigerian women open across

the country, or the amounts their husbands are able to

amass, which paradoxically determines a woman’s social

value and self-worth, it baffles international observers how

prevalent poverty still is in our country today, or why a very

small percentage of people seem to be holding the rest of

the country to ransom, even sometimes without realising it.

Women in Nigeria enable and reinforce their own

stereotyping and disenfranchising but that is a topic for

another day.

From the World Bank to the US military joint Chiefs of Staff,

it is globally recognised that empowering women and girls

is the quickest way to fight both poverty and extremism.

Indeed, societies where women are marginalised are more

likely to become extremist: male supremacy in society

means that a country takes on a culture of aggression from

which women, children and the society at large, are bound

to suffer.

In fact, one could most probably conduct an interesting

historical, comparative analysis between the cultures and

economic development of the North and the South-South,

which would show the link between terrorism, religious

extremism/intolerance, and gender discrimination in

cultures where ironically, women have played very

important roles. Some scholars say Muslim countries or

regions are affected by terrorism not because of Islam or its

teachings but rather because of the poor levels of female

education and the fact that women are not active

participants in the economy or the society.

Women are the developing world’s untapped resource and

the change we all desire in Nigeria must go through women

in order to take root. Rather than political intrigues in the

Senate, or hosting dinners involving the wives of the

President, Vice-President, Senate President etc. Nigerians

must demand a comprehensive agenda and strategy, from

all these women to fight poverty and inequality particularly

amongst women and children. Cancer initiatives, helping

the homeless, these are all worthy and laudable causes but

to really make a difference in the coming decade, Nigerian

women of influence must come together to end the

fundamental issues that put women at risk and therefore

enable a host of other problems, which are all

consequences of the misuse and mistreatment of women in

this country.

This administration’s greatest challenge will be to integrate

women, youth and children into the society. With over 10.5

million children out of school, according to UNESCO, this is

both a national shame as well as an imperative. Poverty

stricken women will raise children more likely to leave

school, which is another generation of unemployed and

unskilled youth that government must rescue.

We are not going in the right direction, if the new sexual

offences bill is anything to go by. This bill imposes life

imprisonment for rapists and those who have sexual

intercourse with children less than 11 meaning, in essence,

that it is now legal to have sex with any child so long as he

or she is older than 11. Marrying that child then allows and

basically legalises paedophilia. Only the utmost depravity,

would make anyone consider that a human being, a person,

called a “child”—precisely because both anatomically and

mentally he or she cannot withstand certain pressures,

which is why child labour, for example, is illegal in all

developed nations—would be able to endure sexual acts

without physical and emotional consequences.

Proof of this is obstetric fistula, a hole created in a girl’s

body during a difficult birth (her body is too young, not

developed enough for the exercise) leaving her incontinent,

foul smelling and alone, as her family shuns her when this

happens. In Somalia, a country Nigerians would be

embarrassed to be compared to, fistulas are repaired and

prevented and the procedure costs just a few hundred

dollars. Are you ashamed yet, Nigerians?

Edna Adan, according to reports in the New York Times, a

former first lady of Somalia used her savings to build a

hospital to save women around her. In Nigeria, our first

ladies, besides owning expensive properties and jewels,

have little to no impact, outside of their pet projects, which

are conduits for corruption and further oppression.

Rumours of past first ladies re-selling free vaccines given

to them by donor agencies, is a disgusting trend. Mrs.

Buhari, Mrs. Osinbajo and Mrs. Saraki in particular have

been elevated, as spouses of the three most powerful men in

Nigeria, beyond the wildest dreams of most Nigerians.

Whether there is an office of the first lady or not is merely

political grammar.

There is a reason why microfinance organisations focus on

women: global poverty, it is acknowledged, is also in part

(whether our patriarchal society likes to hear it or not)

caused by unwise spending by men.

The world’s poorest families spend more of their income on

alcohol, prostitution, sweets, sugary drinks and lavish

feasts (according to reports published in the New York

Times) than they do on educating children. But when

women are financially enabled, this trend is reversed and

girls are the biggest beneficiaries. Our first ladies should

have competent people around them who can research and

propose policies directed at women and children. Nigeria

must make laws to ensure that when a man dies his wife

inherits his property rather than his brothers, therefore

plunging that widow and her children into uncertainty.

Rather than legalise women’s pain, our government and its

powerful ladies should help women thrive: Nigeria’s fight

against poverty, our desire for peace and progress all starts

with them.

The Nigerian Senate

YERIMA, Oduah, Kashamu…. what a senate! What a

country. Nigeria protects those who do wrong and frustrates

those who do right. A lot has already been said about

Senator Saraki’s emergence as Senate president, all I’ll add

is “only in Nigeria”: the indefensible always becomes the

norm. Factions of the APC have already begun the battle for

2019 but who will fight for Nigerians? President Buhari

remains this country’s only real hope as it becomes

increasingly clear that “change” to some, was always just a

slogan.

RCCG and Nigerian politicians

THE closeness between the General Overseer of the

Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch

Adeboye and members of the current administration is

something not all Nigerians are comfortable with.

The Vice-President, professor Yemi Osinbajo is a member

of the church and there is nothing wrong with that. But the

constant ties between politicians from all parties and some

prominent churches is disturbing as these pastors are

known to live grand lifestyles, which in a country of mass

poverty begets certain questions as to the origins of their

untaxed wealth.

Recently, governor Akinwumi Ambode and his wife were

seen at an RCCG assembly and one wonders if and how

membership with the “super churches” has become a

precondition for good governance.