...as Agitation for Gender Equality Gathers Momentum

May 2, 2005 - (This Day) Shortly before President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC), there were great expectations among women that the era of discrimination against them would soon be a thing of the past.

This was particularly hinged on the fact that gender inequality limits the ability of women to assert their rights and be co-partners with men in the politics and governance of the nation. Two months into the conference, their agitation has gathered momentum. But how far can this agitation go? Ndubuisi Ugah, who was at a conference organised by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) asks.

Since President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) about two months ago, the nation has continued to witness unprecedented agitation for equal gender representation. The expectation is that, for a conference, which was convened due to the yearnings of Nigerians for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), issues of inequality and fair-play would be addressed.

Interestingly, President Obasanjo, while inaugurating the NPRC on February 21, 2005, said "we are once again at the threshold of history. History has presented us with the opportunity to re-assess, refocus, redefine and redesign our political landscape in a direction that would strengthen the bonds of unity, enhance the process of democratic consolidation, strengthen the structures so as to solidify those values that promote democracy, good governance and good neighbourliness; and open boundless opportunities for all Nigerians to be and to feel that they are part of the evolving political process and socio-economic advancement."

The small number of women in the political reform conference, is however, perceived in certain quarters as parts of the deliberate discrimination against women. Looking at the objective of the conference, observers contend that there should be no reason why it should be enmeshed in controversies relating to gender representation as was the case shortly after the conference was inaugurated.

Though, the controversy has been traced to the peculiar nature of the political structure of Nigeria, among others, the thinking, however, is that since President Obasanjo said the initiative was part of the process of strengthening Nigeria's democracy to ensure that the political structure and institutions of government work perfectly than they are doing at present,such controversy could have been averted had government taken into consideration the issue of gender consciousness.

Women groups have consistently argued that gender inequality had become so glaring that they felt there was need to address this imbalance, which was largely blamed on the deficiency of the 1999 Constitution. The disparity even became obvious as the percentage of women nominated to the on-going national conference became a subject of national discourse as many local and international human rights groups criticised poor representation of women. Available statistics indicate that only 30 women out of the 400 Nigerians nominated from diverse background were nominated. The agitation soon took the front burner of national discourse as women across the country took the issue up, arguing that the continued marginalisation of women was becoming a deliberate policy of government. Even at a stage, the political pulse of the nation was gauged by the controversy generated by the issue.

While the controversy raged, a Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, granted a coalition of women rights group in Imo State leave to challenge the exclusion of women from the state's (Imo) representation to the on-going national conference in Abuja.
Justice J. E. Shakarho, the presiding judge, had at the hearing in the suit asked the lead counsel to the coalition, Mrs J.C. Igwe to address the court on the locus-standi of the plaintiff to bring the suit. Igwe, maintained that the applicants have civil rights and are contending that they have a right to be nominated to the conference, which is guaranteed by section 42 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

"The applicants have a right to participate in the conference to articulate their views and that of their children. They had intended to put themselves forward for nomination, but were foreclosed by the very act of nominating only men from Imo state by the governor", she said.

That was not the end of the issue. What later followed in terms of misgivings over the marginalisation soon became an issue of national concern. There were several suits filed at different courts to challenge the disparity in the representation at the conference. Many organisations that felt marginalised by the political structure on ground backed the agitation.

This controversy also dominated discussions at a one-day consultative meeting recently organised by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in collaboration with Justice Development and Peace Commission (YARDI) and Youth and Rural Development Initiatives on ways of strengthening women's participation in governance in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The participants, who were well over 150, apparently dissatisfied with the trend of things, drafted "a memo" which would be forwarded to the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC). In the memo, the participants resolved that:

"The Federal Government should be gender sensitive taken into consideration the peculiar needs of both men and women for positive impacts; government should promote women's economic rights and provide them with sincere opportunities to improve their lives and eliminate poverty, which has become feminised; equal tax regime for both male and female; promotion in civil service should be based on merit; the government should provide day care facilities in the ministries for nursing/working mothers; abolition of harmful cultural practices and obnoxious laws; Government should design policies that will aid women's access to loans facilities; the Federal and State Governments should provide constant power supply, because most small-scale enterprises rely solely on power supply; government should embark on enlightenment campaign on political, civil and socio-economic rights; and that women must have access to maintenance and custody where need be".

Other demands include that: "the Federal and State Governments should create an enabling atmosphere that would ensure equal political participation of both men and women; political parties must employ affirmative action to ensure at least 50 per cent of women in both appointive and elective positions; party executive, and most importantly increase the number of women candidates for election; women political participation should be strengthened at the local government level; compulsory and free health facilities for women above the age of 65 years; and hospitals built in rural and urban areas must be made accessible ".

Speaking with THISDAY, Executive Director WARDC, Ms. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said while organising the consultative meeting, her organisation (WARDC) took into account, the fact that women constitute a chunk of the entire population of Nigeria. She added that, women bear the burden of poverty in the country as findings attribute the untold hardship being faced by the Nigerian women to their gender.

She further stated that while gender inequality is rooted in traditional practices, values and norms of the society, Nigeria, through her ratification of international instruments commits herself to gender equality, stating that what is, however, in practice is that there is discrimination against women.

Akiyode-Afolabi premised her argument on the fact that women are not given equal opportunities with men in all spheres of life.
"Women's oppression has become structural and institutionalized. In order to properly address these shortcomings, there is a need for a complete overhaul of our political system. The on-going National Political Reform Conference is a veritable means of achieving this.

"Gender equality should be a gender question at the conference. This is why we are sending a memo to the conference in order for the delegates to look into the issues at stake and, by extension, come out with a balanced blueprint for the generality of all Nigerians so that the enjoyment of rights of half of the population, which has so long suffered historical injustices due to their sex can be holistically addressed", she stressed.

The WARDC director, who said that the recommendation of the NPRC should reflect ideological thrust with regard to the gender question, added that "the present condition of women in Nigeria demands for target specific, demands driven and result-oriented strategies to enable an increase in women's visibility in the economy".

She pointed out that it was imperative that women's concerns are considered in the preparation, planning and implementation of national economic policies.

This, she maintained, is important since Nigeria has ratified several international instruments which include: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the African Charter on Human and People's Right, and the Protocol to the Rights of Women in Africa, the Beijing Platform for Action and other instrument committing her to gender equality, protection and promotion of women's human rights.

Stating that urgent attention should be made to save the situation before it gets out of hand, she noted that in the pre-independence era, only three women namely-Janet Muokelu, Margaret Ekpo, and Mrs. Ransome-Kuti, who were part of the nationalists struggle, participated in any constitutional conferences. To her, the post independence period was even worse, as only late General Sani Abacha had at least eight women out of the 361 representatives in his Constituent Assembly.

Participants at the conference, while decrying gender inequality noted that in Nigeria, a woman is defined as someone's daughter, wife, mother, or widow while single women are viewed with contempt, although they constitute a large category, especially in the cities, because of the high divorce rate.

They also noted that the 1999 Constitution makes no provision for the process by which non-Nigerian men married to Nigerian women and who are desirous of becoming Nigerian citizens may achieve their aims. This, they argued, is impacting negatively on the stability of many marriages Again, observers contend that the silence of the constitution about married women indigeneship status is responsible for the problems they encounter when they seek elective offices.

Addressing these constitutional deficiencies, to them, is the first step towards resolving the problem of gender inequality.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200505021034.html