Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), I join the global community in
commemorating the International Women's Day (IWD), 2022. The IWD is a day set
aside by the United Nations to draw global attention to the plight of women and girls
and to strive towards the attainment of an egalitarian society where circumstances
of birth such as gender, will play no role in the socio-political relations of society.
The theme of this year's IWD: Break The Bias, is very apt as it speaks to the need to
dismantle the limiting barriers of patriarchy and other biases that have kept girls and
women at the back seat of our national life. The recent events at the National
Assembly, where syndicated Bills targeted at a more inclusive representation of
women in politics and governance was opposed by a male dominated parliament,
speaks volumes of the structural ramifications of this social menace.
With women and girls comprising almost half of our national population, ideas and
policies that tend to limit their inclusion in our national life tantamounts to shooting
ourselves in the foot, as a nation is only as good as the wealth of human resources it
can leverage from its population irrespective of gender. Indeed, it is not for nothing
that the framers of our Constitution have guarded against discrimination on grounds
of gender, amongst other considerations, in Section 42(2) thereof. I daresay that this
Section provides the moral and legal justifications for a gender balanced and
inclusive society.
Whilst I have spoken to the plight of women and girls in the context of Nigeria, it is a
fact of our existence that the situation we are confronted with is akin to a global
pandemic. All over the world, women are at the receiving end of policies, oftentimes
conveniently anchored on culture and religion, which leave them short-changed.
Also, in various theatres of conflict, women have continued to bear the heavier brunt
of crises that are literally man-made. The recent events in Afghanistan and Ukraine
are an eloquent albeit harrowing testament to this fact.
Even as I acknowledge that we have in recent times recorded some measure of
success in our efforts at fixing this anomaly, it is also true that there is still a lot of work
to be done. In this regard, let me commend all women in civil society, the professions,
academia and other segments of society who continue to sustain the tempo of this
noble cause.
On our part, the NBA will continue to play its role through focused legislative
advocacy and, where necessary, public interest litigation with a view to achieving an
egalitarian society that accommodates all and sundry, particularly women and girls.
Finally, I congratulate all women and girls on this momentous occasion even as we
continue in our struggle to dismantle the walls and prejudices of patriarchy and other
biases that limit and short-change them.
Happy International Women's Day!
OLUMIDE AKPATA
President
8th March, 2022
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