Women's Rights in Nigeria

By

‘Yar Uwa Tajiki

yaruwa@gmail.com

 

 

Let me add women issues to our highly polarized political debate. It is a paradox, isn’t it, that all Nigerian women have a real vote on national issues but most have only a token vote on their personal ones. Why do we have to plead for female education in Nigeria? Why does Nigeria have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and why are women disproportionately affected by disease, poverty and social unrest? Doesn’t that imply that women are considered lesser humans than men? As far as religion and science are concerned, women and men are HUMAN, simply human - nothing more, nothing less. The defining factor of ANY woman’s life should therefore be her humanity rather than her womanhood but most women in Nigeria live lives to the contrary. WHY?

 

There is absolutely NO valid reason for subordinating half the population of a country simply because it is comprised of women. Scientifically, normal women and men have the same number of chromosomes. Spiritually, women and men are equal. Like men, we have God-given rights and God –given potentials which we have every right to exploit. But unlike men in Nigeria, we are often denied our God-given opportunities in lieu of massaging the gigantic ego of the male-dominant society Nigeria is. Women in Nigeria have one potent enemy – CULTURE, which ascribes to men an untouchable super human status and to women, a powerless sub human status.

 

To domesticate and dominate women, our culture first of all, distorts religion. Under the aegis of distorted religion, it allows female illiteracy, women idleness, forced marriages, early marriages, “daughter dashing” etc. It endorses child hawking despite its attendant sexual assault risks. It approves rampant childbirth in spite of looming health dangers. It turns a blind eye on male unfaithfulness and irresponsibility and pays lip service to domestic violence. It doesn’t blink should a man, in a bid to humiliate his wife, divorce her after 20, 30 or more years of marriage but frowns if a middle aged woman remarries after her husband’s death. In polygamous societies, it encourages a man to marry a second wife as punishment to the first. If he suddenly strikes it rich right after marriage, a woman turns into a talisman that can still be abused but never divorced; if otherwise, she is the harbinger of ill fate that must be divorced. And God help a girl should a male relative express interest in her. No matter how disinterested she is, she is most probably a done deal, dead meat. If she tries to protest, she is hurriedly shut up and shut down. To crown it all, our culture calls all of these injustices DESTINY. Even in more modern oriented Nigerian societies, women are still affected by the venom of culture. Here it tries to restrict our interests - have you ever wondered why engineering is almost exclusively a men’s club in about every university in the country…?

 

We do have cultural assets but with regard to women issues, culture is more a liability than an asset. By being biased, “our” culture devalues our humanity, lowers our self-esteem even stunts our spiritual growth. So successful is culture in subordinating women that a significant number not only accept and take pride in oppression but also fight to maintain the status quo. But whether we like it or not, culture is NOT a valid reason for subordinating women. It is not a religion and with regard to women, it consistently errs. Culture is a man- made phenomenon, a NON- LEGALLY binding man-made phenomenon. Why then, should we let it confine and redefine us? To be treated sub-humanly is grave injustice and it is egregious that injustice on women in Nigeria is preferred over a break from entrenched cultural bigotry.

 

I dare not discuss women and culture in Nigeria without discussing marriage and men. Marriage is a wonderful sacred institution desecrated by cultural norms. For that reason, marriage in Nigeria has become more a lottery than a mutually agreed contract. In these deplorable times when married women are treated like “necessary accessories”, like clothes to be bought, worn and discarded at will, parents must step up to be our unrelenting champions. Although “early” is a relative term, parents should resist marrying off their daughters before physical maturity is attained. Regrettable marriage decisions, not the least of which is the dangerous mistake of marrying the wrong man, are often sparked by culturally –dictated parental pressure and ultimatums. Mindful that physical maturity does not necessarily imply psychological maturity, parents should eliminate incessant pressure on daughters to get married. They should, instead, unreservedly support them in their educational pursuits at ALL levels. With age and education comes wisdom, with prayers, miracles. As such, parents should encourage their daughters to have dreams bigger than marriage and should resist forcing a choice on them when the time comes.

 

If a young lady insists marriage is the way to go, she should be reasonably supported BUT she should realize that marital discord and insecurity in Nigeria have almost everything to do with the total dependence of women on our culturally programmed men. Professional careers, vocational training and small business enterprises should therefore be emphasized before and during marriage as well as after the unfortunate failure of a marriage. Also, given the soaring divorce rates and loss of values in our society, parents should, in words and deeds, make clear, that their in-laws-to-be are NOT doing them a favor by marrying their daughters. Parenthood is a trust and parents become true parents when they defy cultural tradition to help defend their daughters’ rights. Parent, I say to you there is NO SHAME in being vigilant over your flesh and blood.

 

Motherhood is beyond doubt, a noble gift. However, a woman needs access to excellent medical care, be well nourished and be well informed about the health hazards of constant bearing and rearing to make healthy choices about her family life. Often for culturally sanctioned reasons, most women are neither, nor, naught on these criteria, which explains the frightening maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. I believe there is no better contraceptive than education. There is indeed a degree of sophistication, elegance and finesse conferred only by education. Education defuses the unfortunate zeal of subordinated women to have “security” babies. It purges them of their culturally endorsed naiveté on marital issues and clears their extraordinary delusion of believing childbirth to be their only mission in life. Nigeria certainly has a vested interest in female education since an educated female populace is vital to economic growth, community health and national welfare. Through education, every woman would be empowered to fully express her humanity, to explore her talent(s) and creativity, to play an active role in family decisions, to have power over of her health, to be a great mother to her kids and to make informed and thoroughly evaluated decisions about her life. With education, a woman will be in control of her mind, her body, her life, her destiny.

 

That Nigeria has the third highest HIV infected population in the world is neither shocking nor surprising to me. HIV incidence explodes in settings where women are dominated. In as much as the major risk factor(s) for HIV transmission are unprotected sex with multiple partners, contaminated blood transfusion and/or drug use, the OVERRIDING HIV risk factor for a woman in Nigeria is simply being a typical Nigerian woman  - poor, uneducated, subordinated and worst of all, often married to a carefree, unfaithful man. Given that we, Nigerians are a religion-inclined people, I am particularly interested in seeing more pro- women action from our religious leaders. Again, let’s face it – the overwhelming problems encountered by women in Nigeria are not religious. They are cultural. Deeply cultural. Even though, culture has had a long standing corrupting influence on our religious interpretations, we KNOW for a FACT that every true religion recognizes the strong relationship between women’s rights and social reform. If they truly want to act in the name of God, our religious authorities must abandon their culturally induced froideur on women issues and be a force of positive change.

 

Haven’t enough families experienced the excruciating pain of marriage- turned - death sentence for their daughters for just ONE reason - lack of pre-marital HIV test? What could be worse than contracting the deadly virus right after the FIRST conjugal night? Imagine the sorrow, the grief, the anguish of losing a daughter, sister, aunt or mom to that malicious virus. Imagine your loved one a sack of bones, her eyes cold, her hairs gone, her skin off. Enough! From now on, the dowry should come hand in hand with a certified HIV test report. Since imams or pastors solemnize most marriages in Nigeria, the alarming HIV incidence in the country should galvanize religious institutions to DEMAND HIV screening before the knot is tied. Parents should also insist on routine HIV screening if need be. If our culturally favored men are not responsible, then our religious leaders and our parents should force them to be.

 

Though lopsided against women, HIV infections in Nigeria are definitely not one sided. Pre-marital HIV tests should therefore be MANDATORY for BOTH parties. As you eagerly await your big day, remember one invariable fact - you have only ONE LIFE. You better protect it. You better know what kind of knot you are tying - knot dead or knot alive. And fear not! The simple test yields only simple results; it’s either you have the virus or you don’t. Either way, the test offers priceless chance to salvage your life as much as possible. DEFY CULTURE and TAKE THE TEST - to curb the spread, to rid the stigma, to save your life.

 

The rapid spread of the virus in the country also points to the need enforced legislation penalizing people who DELIBERATELY transmit the virus. Intentionally acting as a HIV transmitting agent is premeditated murder, plain and simple. It’s like being trigger- happy in a market, only that the bullet is now the virus. Such destructive people obviously have no regard for human life and are consciously putting the whole Nigerian society further at risk. A jail threat can be powerful deterrent. If found guilty, why not put away these vicious elements in our notorious jails for some considerable time? In the decisive matter of life and death that HIV currently is, any right thinking Nigerian should be willing to help enforce the proposed policy. A national policy of routine HIV testing should be considered as well.

 

Economic independence is, after education, the next most important weapon for emancipating women. In a country where the educational system is in shambles, economic independence is probably AS important as education. The corporate sector of Nigeria is crucial in this respect. As an example, the corporate sector may find it worthwhile to examine the micro-credit system for women introduced by Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. The Grameen Bank was specifically established to provide loans to needy Bangladeshi women. Although I am not very familiar with the technical details, the bank offers economic incentives for being responsible as well as economic penalties for defaulting. The spectacular success of the bank (about 97% repayment rate) has not only transformed the lives of millions of women but it has also earned the bank and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel peace prize. Its success saliently indicates that PREFERENTIAL economic opportunities for women are roundly profitable. I find the Grameen model worthy of adoption because the Bangladeshi women who benefit from the loans are destitute, uneducated and from rural areas like most Nigerian women. Moreover, Bangladesh is very similar to Nigeria in that its people are very poor, its society very cultural and its government very corrupt. If it can work in Bangladesh, it can as well work in Nigeria.

 

This article is obviously not about a Nigerian woman’s right to vote in public elections. It’s about a Nigerian woman’s right to vote on her private issues. It’s about dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about having a voice and choice. Rather than an attempt to incite drama or anger, this article is an attempt to speak the unspoken thoughts of most Nigerian women, to speak loudly, the hushed tones of some 67 MILLON. For far too long, the humanity of a Nigerian woman has been totally eclipsed by her womanhood, her culturally defined womanhood. This article challenges ALL Nigerians to end that eclipse. Writing about women’s rights shouldn’t however suggest that the condition of women in Nigeria is static. There have been changes, but they have happened at a very glacial pace. Even though I truly see in empowered RE-HUMANIZED Nigerian women a source of liberation for BOTH Nigerian women and men, my ideas are certainly not the only possible solutions to the crippling plight of women in Nigeria. My ideas are simply ideas - ones that can and should be source of public action, awareness and debate. Let’s get started.

 

 

Comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms are welcome. Forward to yaruwa@gmail.com