On International Women’s Day 2024, Corporate Accountability and Public
Participation Africa (CAPPA) stands in unwavering solidarity with the
global movement for women’s empowerment and gender equality. This year’s
theme, ‘‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’’ is very much instructive
and resonates deeply in Nigeria, where gender and economic injustices
continue to shackle women’s development and well-being.
While trailblazing Nigerian women have defied formidable obstacles to
assume leadership positions at home and abroad, the stark reality for
most remains an agonizing plight. They face entrenched cultural
discrimination, gender-based violence, political marginalization, and
limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
Regrettably, the government’s steadfast appetite for neoliberal
policies, along with the ongoing commodification of vital public
services such as education, water and healthcare have only tightened the
chains of oppression.
This brutal reality is laid bare in the current economic crisis – one of
the most severe in recent history – precipitated by the removal of fuel
subsidies without cushioning measures and the implementation of monetary
policies that have catapulted the cost of living to unprecedented
heights amid runaway inflation. It is no surprise, therefore, that
spontaneous protests continue to erupt across the nation, as the working
masses struggle to survive the crushing weight of immiseration.
In these dire circumstances, Nigerian women, who shoulder the
disproportionate burden of domestic labor and family sustenance, bear
the brunt of this economic trap. Caught between survival and dignity,
many women are resorting to desperate measures, including the
unthinkable act of suicide, as a way out of hopelessness. The
prohibitive cost of cooking gas is also pushing many families back to
unhealthier and environmentally damaging practices like using charcoal
stoves and firewood for meal preparations.
The education sector further demonstrates the detrimental impact of
these unfavourable policies on women’s progress. With the unprecedented
hike in school fees across public tertiary institutions, spurred by
depressing economic conditions and the government’s failure to
prioritize education as a public good, many financially disadvantaged
female students are dropping out of school due to their inability to
afford the increasing costs of education. This situation worsens an
already troubling statistic that 60 percent of out-of-school children in
Nigeria are girls, with an estimated 7.6 million not attending primary
and junior secondary schools, according to the United Nations Children’s
Fund. Investment in education is not only crucial for the upliftment of
women but also for national development.
As we commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day and its rallying
cry, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,” CAPPA urges the Nigerian
government to give women a fighting chance by shunning unfair and
pro-privatization policies that erode their rights and deepen gender
inequalities. We encourage the government to prioritize
gender-responsive public financing and programmes that uphold women’s
access to quality public services like education, healthcare, and social
protection programs.
Furthermore, we call upon the federal government to bolster public
services by improving their quality, accessibility, and affordability.
Given the biting hardship, we encourage the government to quickly
conclude the issue of raising the national minimum wage and
strengthening labour protections in both public and private work
environments to support decent working conditions for women. By adopting
a rights-based approach to governance, the Nigerian government can truly
invest in women’s liberation and accelerate progress toward achieving
gender equality.
Signed
Robert Egbe
Communication Officer
