ACCELERATE ACTION FOR GENDER EQUALITY GLOBALLY: DECELERATE ACTION IN NIGERIA

It is that day once again. MARCH 8. The day set aside annually to celebrate women the world over. A day that serves as a reminder to all to recognize and cherish women’s agency. A day to bring to the fore the successes and challenges women encounter in society. This year’s International Women’s Day 2025, holds a bitter pill for women in Nigeria.

While the theme of this year’s IWD is ‘’Accelerate Action’’ and calls for rapid advancements in gender equality the events of the last one week in particular and since the beginning of the year, in Nigeria is of great concern to not only women’s rights activists, but Nigerian women in general.
Rather than accelerate action, the nation seems to be decelerating action.

This year’s IWD is coming just two days after the Nigerian Senate by their action of suspending a senator (Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan) who alleged sexual harassment against the Senate President ( Senator Godswill Akpabio) have sent out a strong message that sexual and gender based violence thrives and flourishes in not only the upper chamber, but also in Nigeria as a whole. Not only was she suspended and banned from coming anywhere near the National Assembly for six (6) months, but she was also asked to apologise in writing for making such an allegation. The Senate President who she alleged as having sexually harassed her, sat as judge and jury in the matter and announced the sentencing. Thursday, March 6th was indeed a sad day for feminists, women’s rights advocates, human rights advocates, Nigerian women and men.

Patriarchy and misogyny fought back and stifled the voice of a female senator, one of the 4 women in a 109 member senate.
In the same vain, since the beginning of the year, Nigeria has been witnessing a distressing upsurge in reported cases of femicide in Nigeria. Between January 1st – February 28th, there have been 24 reported cases of femicide from across the six (6) geo-political zones in the country.
Women especially young girls being burnt to death; killed and dismembered etc. As an organization committed to eradicating violence against women, we are deeply alarmed by the rising cases of femicide.

No where seems to be safe for women and girls in Nigeria. From their homes to schools, places of work, places of worship, Nigerian women continue to face attacks. Age, tribe, marital status, religious affiliations, social status, educational level are no deterrence. It was thus very sad to hear a former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Florence Ita Giwa, say on Arise TV, while being interviewed on the case of Senator Natasha’s allegation, that sexual harassment is not possible in the Senate. By this enabling statement she contributed to the injustice that played out on Thursday on the floor of the senate.

How can the world be talking about accelerating action for gender equality and Nigeria is decelerating action? Why will the world be talking about the importance of strategizing to promote gender equality; and Nigeria at the highest level of governance – the senate, is clearly promoting gender inequality and injustice?
Thus for us at Project Alert on Violence Against Women, this year’s IWD is a sobering one for us.
We are calling on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency, announce a STATE OF EMERGENCY in Nigeria over the upsurge in cases of femicide in Nigeria; and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence. We are dealing with a national crisis and must act now.

We also call on the Nigerian senate to make public its policy/ house rules on sexual harassment in the upper chambers, based on which Senator Natasha’s petition was not even considered.

Public officeholders in Nigeria can not continue to act lawlessly, depicting severe character deficits and total disrespect for their colleagues.

Yours Sincerely,
JOSEPHINE EFFAH-CHUKWUMA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR