Fostering gender equality in Nigeria through affirmative action

By Daniel Eboh

Affirmative action is defined by Wikipedia as a group of policies, processes and practices with a government/group that promotes the representation of a particular group based on their gender, race, sexuality or nationality in areas in which they were excluded in the past(eg education and employment)

The female gender has for long being considered as a weak person and therefore she has been somewhat sidelined by the Nigerian civil society in various sectors.

In the 1970s and early 1980s in Nigeria, women were seen engaged in plaiting hair, working as secretaries in offices, selling goods in the market, teaching in schools, working in hospitals as nurses and other similar roles which men considered as “light jobs” for the “weaker vessels”. The issue of sex discrimination ate deep into the Nigerian society and men considered themselves as super. The husbands took decisions all by themselves and seriously disregarded their wives advice (these piece of advice were considered as foolish talks).I recall in the early 1980s,one Mrs Okereke  in my  then locality of University Of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) who after working in the hospital as a nurse, would be seen in the streets doing taxi to get more income. People frowned at her and a newspaper firm had to carry the story then. However, this didn’t discourage the lady in any way as she proudly did these 2 jobs in order  to take care of her family even though her husband was working too.

Having been squeezed too much, the Nigerian woman joined her colleagues at Beijing, China 1995 for the UN Womens Conference. This served as a major mural booster to the Nigerian woman and upon coming back to Nigeria, the Nigerian woman got inspired to set up several interest groups(NGOs) in order to see that they are not disregarded .Simultaneously, Nigerians in the late 1990s, witnessed unprecedented events like the appointment of the 1^st female Minister of Aviation( Dr Mrs Kema Chikwe) and the first woman to  contest for Anambra State governor(these changes occurred as the men in governance realized an urgent need to bring in women into governance at all levels).

This was then and this is now.

Despite the fact that we have women right now as heads of departments, deans in various Universities/Polytechnics, female commissioners, ministers, doctors, senators , honorable members of of various national  & state house of assemblies ,the story goes on and the problem of affirmative action continues to linger. Currently, we hear of wives being sexually and physically abused by their husbands, unemployed females being sexually exploited as “weaker vessels” prior to their securing employment, females receiving lower salaries than their male counterpart.

Currently, more females enroll into schools to get knowledge(the power to have a paradigm shift), more marriages are breaking up due to the neglect of the female voice in decision making, more single parents are out there( though some may be due to pride or stubbornness).

To achieve an inclusive workforce that represents all people, affirmative action has to be implanted instantly in Nigeria to do the following:

• Bridge inequalities in employment and pay.
• Increase the access to education for the girl child.
• Improve the female representation in the workforce demographics.

To foster gender equality in Nigeria, the Nigerian man has to realize that the Nigerian woman is unique from every point of view. Women advice should be taken with all sense of seriousness. I personally call for affirmative action in every facet of the Nigerian society. The Nigerian women should be employed into management positions of companies, schools, Universities and even the uniform jobs. The husbands should and MUST also involve their wives in the decision-making process of their homes (the wives must also respect their husbands views also) as a team. We must drive for the inclusion of women in decision making (processes starting from the home levels) to acceptability and respect in the public square (especially in the workplace).There is indeed a great wealth of wisdom that the women bring to fore whenever they are given that opportunity to share it. We must not take this for granted in any way. If the man can make it then the woman can make it too.

The affirmative action has to consider these:

• The financial status of the affected women.
• The structural disadvantage of the women(if its economic status).
• The disability status=Consideration of scholarships and civil service employment for females living with disability.
• Army selection: Selection of females into the Nigerian army especially female Gbgagi natives.

If these steps are fully taken into account and implemented, they would foster gender equality in Nigeria and also around the world. Women deserve to be enabled to be trailblazers, innovators and leaders in their communities. I personally am committed to advancing gender equality that reflects the talents, abilities and rights of women and girls in Nigeria and all over the world.