IWD: Accelerate action for gender equality globally; Nigeria decelerating action, upsurge in cases of femicide, Project Alert laments
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
As the international community marked this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8, a day set aside annually to celebrate women world over, a non governmental organisation, Project Alert on Violence Against Women has kicked against the numerous forms of unlawful treatment meted out to Nigerian women and girls.
While reminding Nigerians that International Women’s Day as declared by the United Nations is a day which serves as a reminder to all to recognise and cherish women’s agency and bring to the fore the successes and challenges women encounter in the society, Project Alert through its Executive Director Mrs Josephine Effah-Chukwuma laments that this year’s International Women’s Day 2025 holds a bitter pill for women in Nigeria.
The theme of this year’s IWD is “Accelerate Action” which calls for rapid advancement in gender equality.
Project Alert however noted that the events of the last one week in particular and since the beginning of the year in Nigeria is of great concern not only to Women’s rights activists, but to Nigerian women in general, lamenting that rather than accelerate action, the nation seems to be decelerating action.
The Organisation Executive director Effah-Chukwuma noted that this year’s IWD is coming just two days after the Nigerian Senate by their action suspended Senator Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan who alleged sexual harassment against the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
With the suspension of Senator Natasha, the Senate President has therefore 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 months, 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 four women in a 109 member senate” Effah-Chukwuma said in a statement issued by Project Alert marking this year’s IWD.
She recalls that since the beginning of the year, Nigeria has been witnessing a distressing upsurge in reported cases of femicide in Nigeria.
“Between January 1st to February 28th, there have been 24 reported cases of femicide from across the 6 geo-political zones in the country. Women especially young girls being burnt to death, killed and dismembered etc. As an organisation committed to eradicating violence against women, we are deeply alarmed by the rising cases of femicide.
“Nowhere 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” she stressed.
The organisation frowned at the statement credited to a former Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria , Senator Florence Ita Giwa, who said 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” the organisation asserted.
“How can the World be talking 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 ?, Project Alert queried.
“Thus for us at Project Alert on Violence Against Women, this year’s IWD is a sobering one for us.
“In view of these ugly and unlawful developments against female gender, 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 office holders in Nigeria cannot continue to act lawlessly, depicting severe character deficit and total disrespect for their colleagues” the Organisation on Violence against women stated with the hatch tag #AccelerateAction #EndFemicideNow. #EndSexualHarassment #IWD2025
