For the third consecutive week, the issue of women occupied centre stage at the Senate for negative reasons.
Two weeks after the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dino Melaye trivialised a debate on Made-in-Nigeria products, calling on Nigerians not to emulate Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole whom he said opted not to “patronise Made-in-Nigeria women” and a week after Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, urged Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Nigerian men to marry more than one wife so as to show care to women, the upper legislative chamber has thrown out the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, 2015.
The rejection of the bill coincided with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) conference holding in New York, United States.
The bill which passed First Reading on October 20, 2015, sought to give effect to the provisions of Chapter II and IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) dealing with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy and the fundamental human rights; International Covenants on Human Rights which affirm the principle of non-discrimination and proclaims that everyone is entitled to all the rights set out without distinction of any kind including distinction based on sex; domestication of certain provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa.
Rights activists say in a society where the girl child faces obstacles which prevents her from taking part in education namely: early and forced marriages, early pregnancy, prejudice and violence based on gender stereotypes; where women are discriminated against on account of her sex, while widows are subjected to inhuman, humiliating or degrading treatments from her late husband’s family, the bill would promote women’s equality in education, divorce, marriage, workplace and property/land inheritance.
At the debate on general principles of the bill, most lawmakers voiced opposition, saying it is not compatible with Nigerian culture and religious beliefs. Specifically, Ahmad Sani (APC, Zamfara West) pointed out that the bill negates the principles of Sharia, which is recognised by the 1999
Constitution.
Other senators also argued that the Constitution already recognises the rights of everyone and that some of the provisions of bill are already spell out in the Child Rights Act, 2003.
One of the contentious areas in the bill is the issue bothering on inheritance. Lawmakers belonging to the Islamic fold, who kicked against a section of the proposed law which stipulates that women be allowed to inherit their late husband’s property, rejected same on grounds that in Islam such practice is unacceptable, as women are only allowed to inherit half of the man’s possessions.
A Christian lawmaker, Emmanuel Bwacha, who also rejected the bill, argued that biblical teachings and scriptures clearly spells out the roles of husband and wives in marriage.
Condemning some sections of the bill, he further stated that the Bible in the book of Ephesians Chapter 5 Verse 23 describes the man as the “head of the wife”, a teaching he stressed, runs contrary to provisions in the Gender Equality Bill.
Promoter of the bill, Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South) expressed disappointment at the development and regretted that the bill had been killed each time it came up. She accused her male counterparts of deliberately killing the bill because they wanted to continue to relegate and subjugate women.
She however, expressed optimism that the bill would be passed into law so that women could have their rightful place in the society. Consequently, she expressed her readiness to re-introduce the proposed law.
Her words: “The Equal Opportunities Bill has been coming in and out for quite some time and the men have been shooting it down. The idea is simple and all we wanted to do was to ensure that those covenants that Nigeria is a signatory to, is incorporated in our laws.
“In gender parity, women must be equal to men and they find it not very palatable and that is the reason for the bill not passing each time it comes. This is not the first time it would be shot down; it has been shot down in the past but we are trying to make a point that as women we deserve to be recognised.
“I think at one point we would get it right because like every agitation when you keep agitating people refuse but at a point somebody will say let it be and I know we will get there”.
Already, a non-profit organisation under aegis of Gratia Fidelis Caritas has started circulating a petition, urging the Senators to reconsider the document.
According to the organisation, passing the bill will help recognise the equality of women in spite of religious dogma, patriarchal culture, cultural taboos and traditions regarding the unfair treatment of women and girls.
But some analysts say it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the Senate to approve the bill. They hinge their argument on the fact that there are only seven female senators out of the 103 current membership of the 8th Senate. Election of the remaining six senatorial districts has been annulled by Appeal Courts in various divisions across the country.
The seven female senators include: Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South), Stella Oduah (PDP, Anambra North), Rose Oko (PDP, Cross River North) and Fatimat Raji-Rasaki (Ekiti Central), Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central), Binta Garba (APC, Adamawa North) and Monsurat Sunmonu (APC, Oyo Central).
The bill also suffered the same fate in the 7th Senate with only eight female legislators.
Reacting to the development, chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdullahi Sabi, posited that the grey areas which led to the rejection of the bill in the previous Senate are being repeated in the current proposal.
He harped on the need for the sponsor of the bill to do more consultations and remove controversial sections like equal rights for women in marriage and property/land ownership and inheritance.
Citing the 8th Senate Legislative Agenda which also focuses on women empowerment and girl child education, the Senate spokesman clarified that the upper legislative chamber is fair on issues relating to women, adding that no senator is averse to the girl child education or opportunities for women to participate in the political space.
“Failure of the bill does not mean rejection. That we did not approve the Second Reading does not mean that we have rejected the entire idea. It is just a process and the promoter of the bill has already indicated that she is going back to the drawing board. By the time she addresses those controversial issues, if it comes back, it is surely going to get our massive support”, Sabi stated on a live television programme.
But human rights activist Bukky Shonibare posited that it was a sad day for Nigerian women.
“It shows how backward we are and how much we want to hold on to our lopsided religious and cultural beliefs.
“It is unfortunate that some men who see the emancipation of women as a threat are the ones being trusted with making laws and order”, she said.
Female politicians have also added their voices in condemning the lawmakers for rejecting the proposal. Examining the implication of throwing out the bill, PDP National Woman Leader, Kema Chikwe, opined that incidences of rape, domestic violence, maternal mortality, poverty will continue unchallenged.
To her, dismissal of the bill undermines the contributions Nigerian women are making towards national development.
“That bill is not just about women”, she says in a statement issued at the weekend, “it is centred around the survival of the family system in Nigeria. If that bill were passed, the greatest
beneficiaries would have been the men folk, who are undoubtedly the heads of families”.
She therefore pleaded with the Senate to revisit the bill, especially in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
However, not all women are in support of the bill. Commenting on her Facebook wall, a Nigerian mother, Floxy Alaneme, commended the Senate for rejecting the bill, saying it is absurd for women to equate themselves with men.
She described the bill as ‘obnoxious’, calling on women to know their place in the home.
“Why would any woman yearn to be equal with her husband? Personally, I wouldn’t dream of being equal to my husband. I don’t ever want to be equal to him. As my husband, he is the captain of our home. He is my master. My oga. My earthly authority.
“Therefore, I take instructions from him. I have no intention of challenging his authority over me outside our bedroom. He is the head of our family. And I am the neck. As the neck, I pivot his movements, decisions, mood. I have such natural power to dictate to him how he behaves without challenging him. He can never challenge my authority as the neck that carries the head, or else my downfall is also his. That is the power of nature.
“Whether male or female, God Almighty has endowed and bestowed upon us authorities that can never be equated. These authorities and endowment are meant to be mutually beneficial to our homes.
“Therefore, I see it as an absurdity of the highest level for a woman to seek to be equal to her husband.
“Nigeria is blessed with married women who inside their husbands’ homes have achieved enviable positions. These wives have not only achieved great careers they have also built great families together with their husbands. There are many irresponsible husbands out there who have abandoned their responsibilities for their wives to shoulder. And there are many irresponsible women who are yet to understand that irrespective of their societal positions, their husband should be the highest authority over them”, she posted on her Facebook wall.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE
