By
Dakuku Peterside.
Within the last three weeks, three significant events happened. First, during
the constitution amendment, the National Assembly rejected five gender
bills, and as expected, our womenfolk were enraged.
The world celebrated
women’s day, and this year the campaign theme was “Breaking the Bias”.
Nigerian women from all backgrounds and social strata mobilised in their
numbers to protest at the National Assembly in what they considered the
mother of all protest, which signposts the new dawn for women. What is the
significance of these events? Beyond the rhetoric of affirmation and striving
for gender equality, what must Nigerian women do to confront the hydra-
headed problem of the girl child and women in our society? Post gender
bills, what real issues stop women from realising their full potential in
Nigeria? These questions call for introspection and reflection on the
urgency of social change in gender relations.
These recent events and related responses demonstrate the acute
sensitivity and sheer determination Nigeria women have about issues of
gender inequalities. Their actions are galvanising a critical mass of voices
clamouring for a change to the status quo, and the ring of these voices are
reaching a crescendo in advocating for women empowerment and simply
asking for our Nigerian women to enjoy just a few of the privileges Nigerian
men have that seem ‘commonsensical’ and normal.
I must unequivocally state that I stand with these women in their struggle
for fairness and equity. I salute their resolute stand in fighting for what is
right. I believe that a nation that neglects or sidesteps 50% of its population
and workforce simply because of path dependency on patriarchy is a nation
doomed to fail. Improving and harnessing the talents and gifts in our
women is a no brainer, and it baffles most people that any institution will be
insensitive or undermine this, much more an institution representing this
50% population in the national assembly.
The five gender bills rejected at the National Assembly will not bring gender
equality. But they are the first and foundational steps in the climb to gender
equality. These bills request women to have a minor stake in areas
historically dominated by men.
These five bills include: first, a bill to create additional seats for women to
increase women’s representation in the National Assembly – this bill will
lead to a significant increase in the number of women in the Parliament,
which currently stands at 5 per cent; second, a bill to enable Nigerian
women to transfer citizenship to foreign husbands, a right that every
Nigerian man married to a foreign spouse enjoys; third, a bill to ensure
affirmative action of at least 35 per cent in political party administration and
appointive positions across federal and state levels; fourth, a bill to provide
a minimum of 20 per cent of ministerial or commissioner nominees are
women; fifth, a Bill to allow a woman to become an indigene of her
husband’s state after five years of marriage. The National Assembly
rejected all these bills, and womenfolk primarily saw it as a marker of
insistence on the old order.
The broader significance of the rejection of these bills is that the progress
of Nigerian women in the quest for a more egalitarian society seems to be
momentarily truncated. All the proposed constitutional amendments were
meant to end bias against women and ensure the minimisation, if not total
removal, of barriers millions of women faces based on their gender. These
rejections speak volumes as to the mindset of most people, especially men
in power and male-dominated institutions. As products of patriarchy, the
National assembly reified the dominant ideology prevalent in our society,
which is sympathetic to the plight of our women but fights hard to stop any
change to the status quo. This ideology is seen in culture, religion, and
politics.
Suffice to say that this is not a typical Nigerian problem andseem global.
Still, most societies, especially developed ones, have made progress in
improving the opportunities available to women and the quality and impact
of women in their society. These societies are tackling these dominant
masculine ideologies at the basic levels of family, community, and religion
by creating an ecosystem to normalise gender equality.
Any struggle for gender equity that neglects the battle for the minds and
hearts of people and advocacy to make people understand the importance
of gender equality at the micro-levels of society will not succeed. Little
wonder many of the representatives, although paying lips service to the
issues of gender equality, refused to vote for it in the constitutional
amendment voting in the hallowed chambers. The bills succumbed to the
intricate politics, intrigues, and horse-trading peculiar to the national
assembly. The high-powered advocacy given to this bill by the wives of the
president, vice president and all the governors in Nigeria is not enough to
get both houses to pass some of the bills.
This rejection was more poignant because it happened when women
worldwide celebrated “International Women’s Day” with the theme “Gender
equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. This celebration is at the core of
putting women and their issues at the heart of global politics and
governance and the emerging global socio-political and socio-economic
milieu.
Women worldwide watched to see how the Nigerian Parliament would vote
on those issues and give them something to celebrate this year. They were
utterly disappointed. Little wonder our women took to the street and
marched to end oppressive tendencies against them. Women in their
numbers marched to the National Assembly to register their disgust at the
parliamentarians’ actions that failed to pass the five gender bills.
The protest acknowledges that in most countries, even in advanced
democracies, better women representation came out of protracted
legislative and civil rights actions. A price must be paid for change,
irrespective of its low or high cost. Freedom is not free, and our women
have shown they are ready to get dirty to win their freedom.
These women are following in the footsteps of great women of yesteryears
that marched against the colonial masters and specifically against their tax
policies that resulted in the now-famous Aba Women’s Riot of 1929. Just
like other famous women advocates of the past – such as Chief
Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti, Hajia Gambo Sawaba, and Chief Margaret
Ekpo – these doyens of democracy and gender equality crusaders are
pushing hard to get the National Assembly to have a second look at the
bills and reconsider their stance. Fortunately, The House of
Representatives will be voting again on three gender bills – citizenship,
indigeneship and 35% affirmative action in party administration. This step is
crucial because it will give the bills a second chance and might upend
consideration for change in the status quo.
The realities of women’s political participation are staggering. Although
statistics show that more women vote than men in our general elections,
they are dangerously less represented in our government. The Nigerian
Senate has only eight female senators out of 109; only 13 female houses of
representative’s members out of 360, and 44 out of 991 state legislators
are females. There are 15 State houses of assembly out of 36 with no
women as legislators and no female governors. These disturbing statistics
show a deep-rooted bias against women holding leadership positions, and
if we do not take urgent steps now, these numbers will continue to slide
from bad to worse.
Beyond the gender bills, we need to do more to uplift girls and women in
our society. A panoply of issues bedevils women’s progress in our society
that men and women face but have the most devastating effect on women.
These issues include the persistent and increasing burden of poverty on
women, the inequalities, inadequacies and unequal access to education
and training for women, and unequal access to health care and related
services. Women also face violence against them, adverse effects of
armed and non-armed conflict on women, especially with the emergence of
Boko haram, banditry, and its likes. Prevalent inequality in economic
structures and policies in all forms of productive activities and access to
resources. Women are victims of inequality in power relations and decision-
making, at all levels; insufficient mechanisms, at all levels, to promote the
advancement of women; a lack of respect for, and inadequate promotion
and protection of, the human rights of women; stereotyping of women
amongst others.
Advocating for higher representation of women in elective and appointive
offices is critical. And it may potentially be attained through some form of
legislative intervention, as seen in other parts of the world. However, a
change in attitude amongst and towards women and massive education of
the girl child will help advance the agitation of women to be considered
equal within their homes and in Nigerian society.
Educating our children from an early age about issues and the importance
of gender equality, changing our attitude towards the girl child, and massive
education of the girl child is viable, necessary steps towards addressing
gender inequality. Representation is only one step and cannot be done in
isolation of other essential steps.
The issue of uplifting women in our society is for the benefit of all. Highly
productive and engaged women in our society will add to our country’s
development and unleash great development strides. Women are our
mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters, and they deserve better than the
men in Nigeria allow them to get. They need to be freed from the
encumbrances of gender discrimination and inequalities, and the
government must be leading this significant change in society. It is the task
of everyone in our society to change the age-long practices and dogmas
that have held women’s emancipation hostage for a long time.
I will recommend that more sensitisation programmes and advocacy
projects be carried out on this issue to get the buy-in of most people in the
country. Also, in my experience of passing laws in Nigeria, I understand
that lobbying for votes requires articulation, resources, and time to be
successful. Our women need to mobilise and pressure the system for their
rights per their demographic dominance. Rights are often secured, not
handed on a platter. It is a fact that some men will not hand over male
privileges simply because of little agitations and niceties from women. More
work is required to bring about a complete change in attitude, orientation
and actions that are anti-women in our society.
