International Women’s Day 2024: The Saga Continues -By Seun Elere

Another international women’s day is here, and (as usual) another time to load our timelines and statuses with all kinds of affirmations and proclamations. But has anything really changed on gender inclusion and equality in Nigeria, or are things getting worse?

Women are still denied a seat at the table. In the 9th Assembly, we had 7 senators, but in the current Assembly, just about 3% of the 109 senators are women. Yes, we have 16 women as members of the House of Representatives in the current Assembly (3 more than the 13 we had in the 9th Assembly); however, this is still just a little over 4% of the 360 members. All the top 5 offices in the country (President, Vice President, Senate President (and deputy), Speaker of the House of Representatives (and deputy), and Secretary to the Government of the Federation) are currently occupied by men. We only had 8 female ministers, and, unfortunately, we have now reduced them to 7 (just about 16% of the 45 minsters) because of the suspension of the minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Women are still at the receiving end of the increasing SGBV prevalence. A few days ago, I read about a recent incidence of domestic violence that led to the demise of a woman. In some parts of the country, women are still treated as though they are commodities, and many are facing this battle in silence. Many young girls still do not have a say in who they marry, how they marry, or when to marry, nor are they allowed the right to state if they want to be married or not. We are also still battling to combat FGM amidst reports of rape. Women still remain very vulnerable in the face of rising insecurity and conflict.

In some places, women are still forbidden to work even if the husband is barely providing for the family, thereby perpetuating poverty and using it as a tool for enforcing dependence on men, not forgetting the role all these play in limiting the ability of women to contribute to the nation’s growth and development.

Women remain vulnerable to malnutrition. Many women are still forced to sacrifice their meals to feed their children. Access to gender-specific nutritious diets is still impeded by affordability and availability, which further contributed to and are still contributing to the prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Times like this should be a season of sober reflection for us to truly evaluate what we have done right and the lingering issues bedevilling women’s rights in this country. The deafening silence of the renowned women’s rights advocates is also a call for worry.

Promoting women’s rights should go beyond occasional emblems and slogans; it should be an everyday business and a very serious one at that. We all must continue to not only inspire inclusion but also legislate for and enforce it.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Seun Elere
Peace and Social Inclusion Advocate