BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
Disturbed by worsening gender imbalance, violence and discrimination against women, some stakeholders in Igboland have decided to take a drastic action to protect the rights of women.
Some community leaders in Ebonyi State have resolved to take the lead in advocating for gender equity and respect for the rights of women and girls in their communities.
The leaders took the stand during their separate interviews with The Point at Afikpo Local Government Area of the state recently. They vowed to end all forms of age-long discrimination and violence against women.
One of them, the traditional ruler-elect of Afikpo autonomous community, Ezeogo Oko-Agha, noted that there was nothing wrong in making women members of his cabinet and pledged to use his position to change the narratives in his domain.
Regretting that women, sometimes, were the ones perpetrating some negative practices against their fellow women, Oko-Agha promised to involve all and sundry in the campaign against gender abuse and deprivation in his kingdom.
He said, “I will use my good office to promote the rights of women and encourage my subjects to give women their due rights in my kingdom. I will involve the youths, the elders and even the women in the enlightenment campaign because women most often are the perpetrators of these negative practices against their fellow women. I know that with time and the coming on board of educated traditional rulers (Ezeogos), these things will end just like slave trade and the killing of twins.”
Oko-Agha emphasised that he would be glad to have a good number of women in his cabinet, adding that “there’s nothing wrong in having women in my cabinet as a traditional ruler. I am a product of a woman; I live with a woman and a woman cooks for me and takes care of me.”
Another stakeholder, Gabriel Isu of Agboride, Ugwuegu autonomous community, noted that it was his belief in gender equity and rights that motivated him to officially make his first daughter his next of kin.
He explained, “I decided to love my children equally to the extent that I use my first daughter as my next of kin. Even when my son attempted to question it, I explained to him that his sister is his elder.
“So, I don’t give gender preference in dealing with all my children. I am interested in equity, such that any of them who requests anything from me gets within the bounds of my capacity. Though, she didn’t demand for the next of kin, I thought it wise to give it to her as my first child. I also encourage all my children to extend same measure of love they show me to their mother and among themselves so that the family can grow together.”
Isu, a teacher and businessman who belongs to the influencial ‘Esaa’ age grade of Ehugbo, said he never missed any opportunity to advocate for gender equity in rights and privileges in his community.
He, however, admitted that it was not easy achieving a change of attitude towards long existing norms and practices against women in a highly traditional and cultural community as his.
The Ebonyi State Coordinator of Gender-Based Violence Taskforce, Faith Nwanchor, a lawyer, enjoined victims to always speak up for redress through the legal provisions on the rights of women.
The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Felicia Nwankpuma also pledged to fight the ugly trend against all odds.
The stakeholders called for abolishment of all forms of degrading practices against women and girls in the state and nation in general.
They identified some of the negative practices against women to include deprivation of inheritance rights and right to ownership of landed property, obnoxious widowhood rites, and Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation,among others.
