Last week, the senate rejected the Gender Equality Bill for the fourth time in a row after the male-dominated upper chamber objected to Nigerian men and women being given equal rights. Only nine of the members of Nigeria's senate are women and senators rejected the key arguments that the age of marriage should be set at 18, that women should have equal access to inheritance and that 35% of all appointments should go to women.
Yesterday, Senator Biodun Olujimi, the chair of the Senate Committee on Women's Affairs addressed a group of diasporans at the Nigerian high commission in London, explaining to them why the bill failed. She added that although the attempt to get equality passed into law was not successful, one good thing about it was that it raised awareness about the subject.
Senator Olujimi said: "It has been to the senate three times and failed at the fourth attempt last week but it has generated a lot of interest. What I did was take extracts that people were against and then bring them to the floor to get people to debate them but there are three contentious issues in the bill with religion as the fault line.
"The bill is aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination against women as enshrined in the United Nations and African Union charters, which Nigeria is a signatory to. We asked for marriage to be pegged at the age of 18, for women to be entitled to heritage, for 35% of all elective positions, appointments and admissions to go to men and for a one year jail term for anyone who violates a woman."
According to Senator Olujimi, many senators wanted the age of marriage pegged at 15 and many were against the idea of jailing men for sexual offences. She added, however, that senate president Senator Bukola Saraki has said he will allow them to present the bill again in June and they hope that it will pass at the fifth time of asking.
Thanking everyone who supported the bill, Senator Olujimi, said when it eventually gets passed, it will mean that 35% of all university admissions must go to girls, as will all elective positions like legislators and governors. She added that one big hurdle to overcome was the Islamic views held by a lot of Muslim senators who said the Koran allows a girl to get married once she has menstruated twice.
"We want the age of marriage set at 18 but most of the opponents wanted it set at 14 as they said Islam says once a child has menstruated twice, she is ripe for marriage. However, they fail to realise that these days, some girls start menstruating as early as 11, so we need to bring all shades of opinion together to talk about this matter.
"As per sexual offences and violating a woman, I believe that of one person is prosecuted and sent to jail, that will be it. We probably will not need to enforce it more than four or five times before the message hits home," Senator Olujimi added.
A former deputy governor of Ekiti State herself, Senator Olujimi added that even though the 35% representation was not equality, it would be a step in the right direction as it would guarantee more women elected into positions of authority. She added that it would also ensure fairness in the workplace where married women in particular were discriminated against when it came to employment.
Simon Ogah, the acting high commissioner to the UK, who also attended the event, said he too is confident that when presented again, the bill will pass. Other women's rights campaigners at the event included former women's affairs minister Josephine Anenih and Hajo Sani, the senior special assistant to Aisha Buhari, President Muhammadu Buhari's wife.
Prominent UK women's rights who attended the event included the former mayors of Enfield and Hackney Kate Anolue and Susan Fajana-Thomas and Henrietta Abraham, the president of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation UK South. Veteran broadcaster Julie Coker was also in attendance as were the members of the Nigerian Women in Diaspora Leadership Forum and Olugbenga Coker, the general secretary of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK.
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