Nigeria Senate has voted to reject gender equality bill. As soon as Nigeria senate rejected gender equality bill, BBC was quick to write about it, claiming that activists have reacted angrily at Nigerian senators rejecting a gender equality bill. Surprisingly on BBC’s Facebook page, a lot of responses favored the decision of the Nigeria senate.
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Nigeria Senate voted to reject gender equality bill
The bill, titled “Gender Parity and Prohibition of Violence against Women”, was presented by Abiodun Olujimi, representing Ekiti south, during the senate’s plenary session. According to Mrs. Olujimi, the bill would seek equal rights for women in marriage, divorce, education and job.
Both Nigerian Christians as well as Muslims quoted the bible and the quran in support of the senate’s decision. A Lagos resident who goes by the name Mazi Mwalimu says the bill offended Christian values as well. According to him:
Gender equality is a satanic movement against God’s will. The Bible made it clear that women should be submissive to their husbands, not possessive.
A Muslim senator told BBC that in Islam, women get half of men’s share in inheritance and it is unacceptable for anyone to change that.
To the best of my knowledge, in Nigeria men have priorities over women when it comes to inheritance.
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In some advance countries such as Germany, although there is gender equality, but men still receive higher wages than women as far as certain jobs are concerned.
It is therefore practically impossible to practice gender equality hundred percent. Let’s look at this example: In very tedious jobs that require the use of strength, it does not make sense for women to feel discriminated against if they are not employed in such areas. It is a simple principle that needs to be understood.
Gender equality varies from one country to another. In Nigeria women are free to learn and exercise in their area of choice when it comes to studies and work.
In Nigeria, women are doctors, teachers, minister, lawyers, professors, nurses, etc unlike some strict Muslim countries where women are not even allowed to drive cars and they are compelled to always cover all their bodies in public.
According to Senate leader, Ali Ndume, who argued in favor of the bill
“there is a conflict between our traditional belief and our religious belief regarding the protection of women rights.”
…”The church wedding says if you marry, the couple become one while the Igbo tradition says when you marry a wife, she becomes your property. So when issues come up after the marriage, you now wonder which one to take.”
Dear reader, what is your take on gender equality?