As the global community takes stock of progress made for women’s rights since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, women in Nigeria have expressed displeasure over government’s seeming insensitivity to the issue of gender equality.
This ranges from low representatives in government, abuse of human right, poor economic status, child marriage, Sexual violence, Female Genital Mutilation among others, the Nigerian woman still suffers some set back in the society.
Concerns are being raised as the world marks the 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD).
IWD is celebrated annually on 8 March. It offers an opportunity to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
Speaking with BDSUNDAY, the Director of Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan, said Nigeria in the past five years has taken a nosedive and has not achieved close to 10 percent of the 35 percent affirmation which were hoped could be improved on.
Stressing on the need to close the gender gap in Nigeria, Hassan condemned the decline and the under representation of women in governance:
“Now we are joining the world to celebrate the International Women’s Day (IWD) with the theme: Each for Equal and I ask where is the equality in all of this?
“Look at the National Assembly, for instance, we have only 21 women which represent 4.48% out of 469 lawmakers representing various constituencies and senatorial districts. At the State level, no woman was elected governor. They formed 3.07% of the total contestants. Of the 275 women forming 11.40% of candidates for the Deputy Governorship, four (in Enugu, Kaduna, Ogun and Rivers) have been elected. Thus, the number of female deputy governors has similarly declined from six in the 2015-19 regime to four. While women have consistently held the Lagos Deputy Governorship since Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan (2007-11), the APC’s winning ticket fielded a man (Obafemi Hamzat) for the post, bucking the trend.
“The State Houses of Assembly was not left out as a decline from 55 females from previous the 2015 election to 44 women, representing 4.66% of the 944 members have been elected into the states’ Assembly. The representation of women at the state legislation dropped from 5.83% in the current legislative year to 4.66% in the forthcoming,” she stressed.
She equally noted that today, the president’s cabinet can only boast of seven female ministers out 43 in the whole country, and that is three female ministers, down from what we had in 2011. That does not sit right especially at a time when other countries are pushing for greater opportunities for women.”
Hassan condemning the patriarchal structures of job opportunities and paychecks in Nigeria, said there is need for the general public and the government to repent and ensure the protection of women’s right as this would only lead to a better society.
She said: “In terms of job opportunities and paychecks in Nigeria, the Gender Gap Africa projects that a Nigerian male earns on the average 36 per cent more than a woman in the same workspace. These are the anomalies we must correct.”
“The Patriarchal structure we operate is not helping the situation of equality, we might do this directly or indirectly, but I think the government needs to do more in terms of advocacy and civic education to eradicating this, the office of the National orientation, Ministry of Education, Nigerians in general needs to be educated for this change to happen and it will have a relevant impact.”
She urged that the Nigerian government on its own, “must encourage and protect the rights of women and girls and provide them with equal access to education, health care, decent workspace and representation in political and economic decision-making processes which will not only positively affect our economy but the society at large.”
While acknowledging government’s efforts towards closing gender gap, Joy Nkiru, National Coordinator of the Association of Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN) said although policies are made regarding women, they are not properly executed. According to her, some policies in the country are not gender sensitive, hence the need to include women in policy making and decision processes.
“We can’t deny the fact that there are some windows being opened, some provisions being made, but in terms of implementation, in terms of proper touch are the women really getting the lead, No we are not,” she emphasised.
“Nigeria has not done so well in terms of gender equality, they are trying but when you look at Issues and the percentage of policies, you see that instead of moving forward we are moving backward”
She stressed that when it comes to economic empowerment for women, there are many windows said to be open for women but that the question is how many women can actualise it? “You find out that the number is so not encouraging, to use we are yet to do something great.”
She also noted that some social protection policies that are being rolled out, but that some of them are not gender sensitive. “Women are not involved in public procurement, there are lots of policies made regarding women yet these women are not involved.”
She noted that in the area of intra African trade, women engage more. “About 70% of them are women, a lot of policies and protocols are coming up to help coordinate the African nation, but the issue is that in other countries, their women are been brought forward to air their opinion so that when they go on international trade and negotiations, their views will come to the fore and be protected.
“When protocols are been drafted, they are gender sensitive, but when we go on negotiation, we don’t even seek the opinion of our women who are in that trade. How do you seek to expand the economic status when you are not seeking their opinion? She said it is not just about policies being made, it’s about making proper actuallalisation.”
For her, “Policies need to be addressed. The difference between a man and woman is huge; there are natural, political and sociology political things holding her back”
Nkiru urged that the society and its machineries undergo an orientation to help her understand the need for gender equality.
“Nigeria is a public sector led economy, we need lots of sensitisation to be done in those public sector operators, government agencies, the executive, the legislatives, even the judiciary to understand the need and benefits that humanity would enjoy if the woman is empowered economically, politically and empowered socially as well.
“We need to create avenue for proper orientation of the men to understand that it is a man’s world and it is a woman’s world, the woman is not competing with you but rather complimenting you, so that there would be a better society for everyone,” she said.
Gift Wada Abuja
