By Abu Onyiani
Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and on social and news media, people eulogized and praised women. I didn’t share in the emotion, not because I did not have strong, benevolent and god-like women in my life. I felt irritated and sad by the plight of the average Nigerian woman.
The Nigerian Senate suspended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over a sexual impropriety and harassment accusation and suit against the Senate President without even pretending they wanted the matter to be fairly heard and tried. If one of the most powerful women can be ruthlessly punished, what are the odds that the average Nigerian girl child?
The issues are multifaceted and must be tackled holistically. The matter of institutionalized sexism must be treated with the furore we treat poverty and crime. Sadly, Nigerians have abjured the fight against poverty and criminality, so why not sexism, too?
Somehow, the matter of shutting down women isn’t new in Nigeria, provided the alleged perpetrator is rich, famous, powerful or well-liked. The veneration of the Nigerian rich and powerful is widespread, and distasteful, such that victims may have no chance of victory against them. Already, people are protesting against Natasha for suing Godswill Akpabio.
Two days ago, the first post I saw on Facebook was of BBC News Africa announcing that the BBC Africa Eye’s groundbreaking 3 part investigation “Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua” had won the 2025 Royal Television Society Award for Digital Journalism just after a year after it was published.
I remembered I authored a piece after watching the documentary last year on the matter. Although I never accused the Late Preacher of being guilty of the crimes he was accused of, I stated that sexual abuse and financial misappropriation has always been excused by rank and file Christians. Like clockwork, that article immediately earned me vicious attacks from Christians, most of whom are women for what they considered an attack on their faith.
How are you a faithful person if an article asking for women not to be shut down when they air their grievances is enough to bombard and destroy your faith? Some of these women were educated women who lived abroad, but they twisted and contorted themselves out of shape to berate me for speaking up for other women, when they felt that in the interest of their God, I should tolerate masochistic crimes.
The ugliness the Nigerian society directs towards women is often believed to be majorly fueled by men’s contempt for women, but that is not correct, at least based on the actions of the vast majority of people I relate with. The problem we have is a society comprised mainly of political, ethnic, traditional and religious bigots. I say this with authority. Each time I have talked about the predatory sexual traits exhibited by Nigerian religious leaders, it is women who have gone out of their way to remind me that Mark Zuckerberg became a billionaire at 23, at an age when I was still labouring at construction sites to see myself through school.
We need a paradigm shift in how we think in the nation, otherwise we’d go nowhere. I have often told my friends that should I choose to become a criminal, all I need do is pretend to be a pastor, and I would have millions of Nigerian Christians defending me if I committed heinous crimes. The pattern is clear for all to see. Each time a religious leader is accused of rape, stealing or violence, or minor wrongdoing, there is always a group of mindless remote-controlled riff-raffs who would come out firing “John Wickesque” with two guns lines like “Stop attacking the Body of Christ”, “Stop Tormenting us” and “You are not the one that called him”.
I am worried because I am writing this in my bedroom while my 7-year-old niece is sleeping peacefully after I read her to slumber, without knowing the challenges women like her face at the hands of religious extremists. I hope I can do my part in ensuring women can be heard and respected, and so help me God, I will.
Happy International Women’s Day to all Nigerian women.
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