Recently, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the International Women’s Day. Four outstanding women x-ray its significance for Nigerian women as it relates to gender equality among others
We need legislation that will protect women
–Amina Oyagbola
What does the International Women’s Day mean to you?
The International Women’s Day is very significant in the calendar of the year because what it does on every March 8 is to remind us of the struggles of courageous women and the battles that they fought to ensure that the voices of women were heard. Historically, it takes us back to 1917 in St. Petersburg, Russia, when women stood up and fought for peace, bread and fought for the end of the war and welfare of their children. They also wanted all the killings of their brothers, sons and husbands to come to an end. This was at the beginning of the revolution and when you roll back a 100 years ago, you’d find out that women did not have a right to vote or own property. They didn’t even have control over their own bodies; they couldn’t even determine the form of contraception they could take. In a divorce situation, the man had the unquestionable right to determine what happened to the children and a husband for instance, could have decided that you would never see your child again.
How does this relate to the Nigerian situation?
Relating this to the Nigerian situation, I would say that we have made significant progress in terms of women finding their voices and being able to air their views in the society but there are still several battles and hurdles to cross; the battle includes that of gender equality and quite frankly, we are still far from where we want to be and that is why I am very pleased with this year’s theme which is ‘‘Be bold for change.’’
Do you think that Nigerian women have been able to exhibit that boldness?
I think Nigerian women are bold but they can do much more, if given the opportunity to air their views. As women, we must have courage. We have to fight for equal pay, work and be more in government. There must be proper representation of women at all levels; in the economic, social and political spheres. So, we are not there yet but we will get there.
If you take a look at the National Assembly, what is the percentage of the women that are there? It is very small. If you also look at Corporate Nigeria and the workforce as a whole, what is the percentage of the women at the top? We have only a few of them. If you take a look at the bottom of the pyramid in terms of access to finance and education, there is still a huge gap and women still have a long way to go.
What should be done to protect the rights of vulnerable groups?
One way to win the battle is to shift the mind-set of those in government so that the kind of legislation that we need would be put in place to protect women and girls and give equal opportunities to women in the workplace. In every sphere of life, people shouldn’t just look at gender, they should look at the capabilities, technical know-how, what you can do with your hands and the value that you can add as a woman. This is not just for the growth of women, but for the development of the country. If you empower women, then you have empowered the nation.
No one should marry a girl less than 18 – Prof. Remi Sonaiya
Did you face peculiar challenges based on your gender while contesting for president?
I wouldn’t say they are challenges in the sense that I expected it but there are some people who could not help but make remarks about my gender, saying that I should go back to the kitchen. I wasn’t bothered anyway because people have the right to say whatever they want.
How were you able to surmount that challenge?
I wasn’t brought up with that mentality that women can only do certain jobs, though I know it exists. I have learnt to discountenance such remarks. It is a pity that people still think all a woman is good for is being in the kitchen, living room and the other room. We really need to get beyond that because there is evidence that in places where women participate in decision-making, the societies are better.
There is still isn’t enough representation of women in politics. What are the challenges militating against the fairer sex in this regard?
A variety of things are responsible for this. Our cultural beliefs and traditions that tend to push women to the background is one of the factors. In spite of most of our political parties subscribing to the idea of giving 35 per cent of positions to females, ladies are usually restricted to the position of women leaders. Many of them are talking about this but they are not acting it. I think we really need to challenge ourselves and the men in particular. Men have more resources and money tends to be a limitation for women because in some political parties, the nomination fees are quite expensive.
Do you think that women have more opportunities now than before?
There is no doubt that things are improving. I think it’s mostly in the political arena that we are not making considerable advancement. The number of women in the National Assembly has reduced from what it was in 2011. And in some state assemblies, there are no women at all, which is unacceptable. However, more women in the corporate sector are getting to the top of their careers and they head organisations.
What do you think can be done in terms of government policies to address this issue?
If it is an affirmative action that will solve this, then we need to do it because there must be legislation. If people are not willing to do what is right, then we must force them to do it. No state should be allowed to have a House of Assembly without women. Nigeria has signed a lot of these agreements and protocols but we don’t implement them and we need to start doing that.
What are your thoughts on gender equality?
When God created human beings, the Bible tells me He made male and female. I don’t believe that one of them was created just to be seen and not heard. We are all human beings and we are equal. What is good for the men is good for women. Some of the discriminatory practices that we have like the horror that women go through when they are widowed should also be experienced by men when their wives die. Equality is about treating the other person as you would want to be treated. Women need protection from such acts. In some cases, girls are kept out of school and in some places, 12-year-old female children are married off to men who are old enough to be their grandfathers. That is not right and should be criminalised. We have been talking but people are not adhering to it, so a law needs to be promulgated that no one should marry a girl that is less than 18 years old.
There is still work to be done to achieve gender equality
-Tara Fela-Durotoye
How would you rate the journey of Nigerian women till date?
From my perspective, I am proud of what women are achieving in Nigeria at the moment and I am conscious of what a woman like Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti did during her lifetime; she was able to galvanise women and stood against the tactics that were being played by the Egbas. She brought women together and was able to go and face the king. I am also conscious of the likes of Flora Nwapa and Chimamanda Adichie based on their literacy works and the huge successes that they recorded. I am also very aware of the contributions of Ibukun Awosika in empowering women and very happy to be a Nigerian woman.
I feel that there is so much that has been achieved that we have not heard of. The younger generation doesn’t even know the story of Queen Amina of Zaria, Queen Idia and all the other women. When the world hears about women’s rights, they think it’s something about the western world. Nigerian women also have a voice and this was depicted in the Aba Riot. These were some of the things that we were taught in secondary school. Unfortunately, we are not hearing these stories today and these women are not celebrated as much as they should.
Do you think that gender equality is feasible in Nigeria?
In terms of gender issues and achieving gender equality between men and women in Nigeria, there is still much work to be done because the competition is stiff but we will get there.
Women have more opportunities now – Mayen Adetiba
As an engineer, were there challenges you faced solely because of your gender?
Yes, I had to work twice as hard as any man and it was challenging. I became an engineer over 40 years ago and we didn’t have many female engineers at that time because the door was not open to them. When most of my colleagues went in search of jobs, they were told that they were supposed to be in the kitchen and not looking for jobs. People didn’t think that we should be attempting to solve engineering problems but we were quick to respond that engineering doesn’t need you to be muscular, rather it is about intellectual capacity. I believe that God has endowed women as much as men.
Would you say that women now have more opportunities in the workplace?
Today, nobody would tell a woman to go and look for another job other than engineering. We have so many women in the field today as opposed to when we started and they are contributing their own quota very nicely. Personally, I believe that a good female engineer can be a lot better than a male engineer because of her patience and the need for perfection. I’ve been called a finicky engineer because I always want things done correctly and properly.
What are your thoughts on gender equality considering that some religions and cultures believe that a woman should always be subordinate to a man?
I wouldn’t condemn them if they believe so. However, I am first a human being before being female so I have rights and should be treated properly and equally. Early in my career, I was working with a Dutch company and because of my gender, they felt I wasn’t entitled to health benefits like my colleagues. I protested this anomaly to the highest level even though I was very young then and I was eventually paid what was due to me. The Bible talks about fairness and if we live by that standard, we would treat men and women equally.
What do you think can be done to curb the prevalence of child marriages in some parts of the country?
It is a pity that we still have grown men in this day and age who defile little children. These people are fathers themselves and they should be ashamed of their hideous acts. Would they feel good if the same thing was done to their children? The sad thing is that some of the people we expect to pass legislations that would curb this evil practice are also guilty of it. Even if all the women in the country were to stand up with one voice and condemn it, I don’t think it would have any impact. However, we should continue putting pressure on the men to stop this evil act. I believe that if we are just and fair in our ways, we wouldn’t be doing these things.
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