Davidson Iriekpen
30 June 2009
analysis
Lagos — That Africa, especially Nigeria still harbours some religious, cultural and traditional practices, extant laws which have consistently violated efforts at curtailing violence and discrimination against women is not in doubt. Many believe that but for modernity and some landmark decisions by the courts, perhaps the situation could have been worse.
While in some advanced democracies, the co-ordinated inter-play of modernity and economic prosperity tends to define effective ethical and, sometimes, legal boundaries in a seemingly male-dominated society, in a depressive like the Nigerian society women are usually at the receiving end.
Cash-strapped and economically challenged, men often vent their frustrations and anger on their women. In poor homes, women easily get battered by their husbands for daring to ask them to live up to their responsibilities as bread winners. The situation is further exacerbated by the pressure of needs in poor homes.
Also, under certain religious and cultural practices, women are made to be subservient to men, so much so that they are misconstrued as part of the assets of men that could be treated anyhow. Any form of resistance or protestation by women under the bondage of discriminatory cultural practices is often visited with violence.
Added to these perhaps is the fact that where such traditional and religion-induced violence against women occurs, the society tends to condone it to the extent that the perpetrators often go scot-free.
Also recently, citizen Uzoma Okere was brutalised by six Naval ratings attached to this senior officer of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade. The story did not end at that, the young woman was almost stripped naked. Her offence was that she obstructed the convoy of the Rear Admiral and for that reason she was publicly dehumanised.
Uzoma"s unfortunate experience is commonplace in the country. And it is part of the excruciating experiences Nigerian women undergo in the hands of men. Anytime a woman tries to enforce her rights or stand her ground on an issue, she is either seen as being rude or derided.
It was against this background that women group in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Morning Star Parish, Anthony Village, Lagos under the auspices of the Daughters of God recently, organised a talk show to address some of the challenges facing the women folk in Lagos. The talk show, which featured prominent lawyers and law enforcement personnel, was tagged: "the Lord, the Lady and the Law."
Speaking at the occasion, Wole Olufon, a lawyer advised women to always ensure that their union with their husbands is properly and legally consummated. She also enjoined them to be conscious of the churches where their marriages are solemnised because not all licensed to operate as churches have the legal status to conduct marriage. He said conducting marriage was another hurdle licensed churches must cross.
He also said it was not proper for a woman to live with a man without formal marriage, saying that apart from the fact that it was a sin against God, if anything happened to the man, the family will not accord the women any recognition.
Nike Adesanya, a lawyer said women must ensure that they are legally married to their husbands. She said when a woman customarily married, it is only customary laws that will protect her when there is martial turbulence but when she is legally married, she can challenge her fundamental rights in court when they are being breached.
For instance, he gave an instance of when a husband dies and a woman is asked to drink his bath water as it is being practiced in some tribes, and the woman legally married, she can challenge such an aberration in a court of law. She advised the women not to see themselves as inferior to men and to always stand by what they believe in. She submitted that though there are occasions where a woman has to concede for peace to prevail; but such concession should not be seen as weakness or inferiority.
Taking the women through the importance of making a Will, the two legal practitioners enjoined them to ensure that they have a Will detailing who would inherit their assets. They disabused their minds of superstition, saying that having a Will does not mean that they will die soon, but to avoid any uncertainty. The lawyers noted that because of the possibility of their husbands remarrying in case of sudden death, the new bride would want to be in charged of what the first wife had laboured for.
An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) who was equally at the programme, gave the women some tips on how to stay out of trouble when driving on Lagos roads. He said once the tips were strictly adhered to, they will not fall prey to unscrupulous law enforcement agents who are in the habit of extorting money from innocent people. The official who spoke on account of anonymity, said it was important for women to ensure that their driver's license, other car particulars were up to date at all times.
He charged them to always ensure that their cars are in good conditions before living home daily by checking the water radiator, breaks and lights and gauging the oil. He also enjoined them to ensure that their spare tyres, jack and wheel spanners were in good condition before living home. The LASTMA official advised the women to avoid driving against the traffic and to constantly observe basic traffic rules and regulations such as traffic lights, and zebra-crossing.
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