FG: Nigeria to Spend N23.4tr on Rice Importation

17 Dec 2012 By Crusoe Osagie The Federal Government disclosed weekend that $150 billion (N23.4 trillion) will be spent to meet Nigeria’s annual rice demand by 2050 as the nation’s population and appetite for imported rice continues to rise. It also revealed that Nigeria currently imports five million metric tonnes of rice and that the figure will increase to an estimated 36 million metric tonnes by 2050. These revelations were made by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) workshop on Financing Nigeria’s Agricultural Revolution. According to the minister, “Nigeria is now the largest importer of rice in the world. As our population rises, demand for rice is projected to rise from the current level of five million MT to 36 million MT by 2050. Unless Nigeria begins an aggressive import substitution programme for rice, it will spend $150 billion annually importing rice by 2050 and the nation will be broke,” he said. He disclosed that the Federal Government’s policy for now is to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production by 2015. “To encourage the production and milling of local rice, the Federal Government has raised tariffs on imported brown rice and finished rice. The policy is working. In the last 12 months, 13 new rice mills, with a total capacity of 240,000 MT, have been set up by the private sector,” he said. He further disclosed that Miva and Ashi rice in Benue, Ebony rice in Ebonyi State, Umza rice in Kano, have all hit the market, stressing that they are so popular and better than imported rice in terms of quality and price. He also said that a new investor, Dominion Farm is currently investing $40 million in commercial rice production in Taraba State and that this rice farm will use small holder contract farmers and out-growers to produce close to 300,000 metric tons of rice within 24 months which will create close to 15,000 jobs and replace 15 per cent of rice being imported. He explained that to ensure Nigeria has in place industrial capacity for international quality grade milled rice that can compete with imports; the Federal Government is facilitating the acquisition of 100 large scale integrated rice mills, with a total capacity of 2.1 million MT. “They will be owned and operated by the private sector. This is being acquired under a low interest rate facility from the China EXIM Bank. For the first time in our history as a nation, Nigeria will soon have the full industrial capacity to mill internationally competitive quality rice,” he said. Adesina explained that as Nigeria population rises, the government is focused on developing and transforming agricultural value chains that will provide new income opportunities for farmers, for all of our major crops, stressing that in this way farmers will have expanded and assured markets for their products. “We are also encouraging agro-processing to add greater value to all of our agricultural commodities,” he added. In her remarks, the Director General of SEC, Arunma Oteh, noted that agriculture permeates our society because it makes up about 40 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and provides employment opportunities for 70 per cent of the country’s population. She then wondered why Nigeria is the third largest importer of wheat in the world and the length of time it has taken the country to get to where it is today given the important nature of agriculture to the Nigerian economy. She however expressed confidence that the agricultural revolution that is being masterminded by President Goodluck Jonathan and coordinated by the Minister of Agriculture whom she described as an agricultural transformation evangelist would set an example for the world to emulate.

Clark Slams Niger Delta Govs for Poor Use of Derivation Fund

27 Dec 2012 By Adibe Emenyonu Elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, has said it was sheer greed on the part of governors of oil and gas producing states to appropriate the 13 per cent derivation fund meant for the oil and gas producing communities. Clark stated this after he was told by the leadership of the oil producing communities that the Federal Government has paid out over N7.282 trillion in the past 13 years as 13 per cent derivation fund to the oil producing communities with nothing on the ground in those communities to show for it. Playing host to a delegation of the oil and gas producing communities from Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Ondo States, the elder statesman recalled the pressures, which were exerted during the 1994 Constitutional Conference as well as the drafting of the 1999 Constitution by the oil producing communities. According to him, it was the agitation from the leaders and people of the communities that made the Federal Government to entrench the 13 per cent derivation fund into the 1999 Constitution to pacify the communities. He explained that section 162 (2) of the constitution, which provided for the payment of derivation fund as first line charge, did not say the payment should be made through any state government to the oil producing communities. Clark emphasised that the fund was created by the Federal Government to address infrastructural deficit and neglect of the oil and gas producing communities, pointing out that the 13 per cent derivation fund belonged to the producing communities. He maintained that direct payments of the 13 per cent derivation fund to the producing communities would bring development to those communities much faster. The delegation, which was led by Niger Delta leader, Chief Wellington Okirika, had visited Clark to thank and pray for him for his leadership role both for the Niger Delta and the country and called for the creation of a National Derivation Committee on 13 per cent derivation fund with state implementation committees to be set up by the Federal Government to manage the fund on behalf of oil and gas producing communities.

..Rochas is long on empty promises – Duruiheoma, Imo PDP Chair

On January 2, 2013 • In Politics 12:26 pm.. By Nnamdi Ojiego …Says “our focus is on 2015″ CHIEF Eze Duruiheoma, SAN, is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Imo State. In this interview, he explains why the party challenged the outcome of the 2011 governorship election in the state, despite congratulating the winner. He also speaks on the sacking of Local Government chairmen in Imo state and his efforts to reposition the party ahead 2015 among other issues. Excerpts: Shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC, declared Okorocha the winner of the 2011 governorship election, PDP candidate, Ikedi Ohakim congratulated him. Why did you turn around to challenge his victory at the tribunal? Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations once announced that he would not go for a second term but he later changed his mind and decided to contest again. When he was asked why he changed his mind, he answered: Only a fool cannot change his mind. That is only part of the point. The truth about it was that at that time, even the PDP joined in congratulating the governor. And you will agree with me that that is a show of good faith and good faith should beget good faith. But when these things happened, the governor instead of reciprocating the good faith, the goodwill from us, took up an aggressive posture, took up a very hostile posture towards the PDP. Is that why you went to court? Of course we needed to let him know that it takes two to tango. If we did this to show you goodwill, you owe us something in return. But when you now proved to us that you didn’t owe us anything, we then went to court to remind him that there were irregularities during the election. So, on the one hand, that is what happened. But all that is history now. Now that the election/court matters are done and dusted, what’s next for your party? To settle down to play opposition politics in the state just like the governor has settled down to govern. And you think you are a vibrant opposition to the ruling APGA? Of course. Opposition politics calls for everything you can muster, it calls for creativeness, pro-activeness and alertness of the mind. It demands too much from you so that you are on top of every situation. I can tell you it has not been a pleasant experience. What policies of this administration have you taken a stand on? PDP as a party has been raising its voice against unpopular policies of the government through the media. When the government came up with the idea of relocating Imo State University to another place, the party raised its voice against the move. We took up that matter, issued releases stating our stand. We also did the same to every other unpopular decisions of the this administration. For example, the opening of the road that causes regular congestion along Assumpta Avenue. PDP was the first group of people that condemned the decision. The opening of that road is the reason for the traffic congestion at Assumpta Avenue. Not many people noticed it before we did and so many other things. On free education We have repeatedly said it here that this administration is very long on promises but short in fulfillment. Take for example, the issue of free eduction. When this government came up with the idea of free education, they didn’t know what they were going into but now it is becoming obvious that they can’t achieve free education at the university level. It is dishonesty to talk about free education at the primary and secondary school levels because, they have been always there. Free education at the primary school level has been there from the period of UBE and it has not changed. Free education at secondary school level has also been there. What may be new is university level. What our people need is not this type of free education that is being bandied about. What we need in our tertiary institutions is investment and development in infrastructure. But because the administration does not listen to anybody except itself, it is drumming it into people’s ears that free education is achievable. Now the chips are down and the chickens have come home to roost. They are now looking for a way to reduce the number of beneficiaries and that is why admission into Imo State University, which is the only university that they have agreed to implement the free education is being controlled. In other words, any Imo son or daughter in any other university is not good enough for free education. You must be in the Imo State University to enjoy the free education. Because they cannot control admission in these other universities except in Imo State university, that’s why they are pegging it to ridiculous 30%, can you imagine 30% admission of Imo children into their own university? I mean it’s flash point and it will create serious problem. I’m worried, everybody is worried. That’s the mother of all injustice. On community/fourth tier government Our position on fourth tier government has been consistent. We are oppose to it because, it is an unnecessary distraction. If you go into the law, if you read the law on this subject matter, you will wonder why anybody should sit down to think about it. Autonomous communities have always been in existence. Their town unions have also always existed. They on their own evolved their own modus operandi and also the relationship between the town unions and the traditional rulers have worked so well for communities over time. Most communities in Imo State are other than the state. I mean before Imo state was created, these communities were functioning. They had town unions and operated smoothly and effectively. Why come now to introduce these alien ideas? Why? And the result is disharmony and unnecessary conflicts in the communities. Before ninety seventy something, when they introduced this uniform ezeship thing, most communities lived in absolute peace but as soon it was introduced, ezeship tussle now became the other of the day. If you go to the courts, ezeship tussle accounts for 70% of cases there. Today, because of government involvement in the way communities should be run, tussle of leadership of communities and ezeship tussle now become the major social problems confronting our people. Why? Communities should be allowed to develop at their own pace. Some communities are stronger than others. Those that are weak today may be strong tomorrow but let them do so at their own pace. But to wake up one morning to introduce a uniform style of government in every community destroying the people’s culture in the process does not follow. That is taking matters too far. On security challenges Well I don’t want to make the mistake the incumbent governor made. He made that mistake when he politicised the issue of insecurity. Security is a very serious matter and should not be trivialised. So I’m not prepared to blame it on him. Some other people may do that but the kind of politics that I play, I will not hold him responsible for that because, the issue of kidnapping and robbery appears to be now endemic. It is something that has been existing, he didn’t introduce it. But if he rode into power with the promise that he will eradicate all these, and today we are still saddled with them, the, that is a lesson to him and other people not to promise anything they can’t deliver. On abandoned projects We want to advice the governor to complete people-oriented projects began by previous administration. Nobody says he cannot complete them and put down his name on them. There is no point abandoning projects because the man who started it is your enemy or from a different party, it’s wrong. And the losers at the end of it all are Imo people. Take for instance the two fly-over bridges started by the previous administration, if he starts work there today, the cost of completing the projects will be different from their cost as at two years ago when he abandoned them. Now, who bears the responsibility of the extra cost, isn’t Imo people? And that money would have been used for other better things for the people. Repositioning the party ahead of 2015 elections Well, if you like and I beg you to like it, We are focusing on 2015. Our emphasis, our focus now is on 2015. What has gone has gone. Whatever may have led to what happened is now history. However, we have learnt our lesson but it is not something we can share….it is something we have internalized, something we have since understood and I can tell you that it is helping us in our present efforts to reposition the party for 2015. I can tell you that we are working so hard now to regain the confidence of every member of this party. We are also doing everything possible to ensure that members who left the party for one reason or the other return to the party before the next election. The PDP which I head stands for justice, peace and everything good. The gospel we are preaching now is that those who will fly our banners in the next election must be ready to serve the people. They must be service-oriented people who are ready to serve the people. In the past, the issue of money used to cause a lot of problems. We will ensure that this time, our candidates spend less so as to give the people quality service in leadership. We can assure you that whomever we are going to field in 2015 must be a human being not a small god or a super human who knows it all and promises everything. The person must be humble. Humility will teach him to level with the people. On governor Okorocha returning to the PDP I think I have answered this question several times. It is not my decision to take. It is a general decision of the party. In fact, it will involve the national leadership. However, The governor and indeed any other person who wants to join PDP knows what to do. We don’t have to cross any bridge until we get to that bridge. So I don’t want to do with this speculation about ‘if the governor comes, if the governor comes’. If he decides to join PDP tomorrow, he knows what to do. He will join in his ward and they will spell out the guidelines and the constitution of the party for him. Efforts to recall Imo Speaker, Uwajiogu The Speaker, Imo State House of Assemby is not part of what I am saying here. Meanwhile, we have commenced efforts to recall him. We are in court with him and as I am talking with you, the case has reached an advanced stage even though he is going about telling people that he has not left the PDP which shows you how fraudulent he is . How can somebody, a public officer, a highly placed one at that talked from two sides of his mouth? Very soon, his seat will be declared vacant… Zoning arrangement Yes. The party believes in zoning as a tool for equity. Haven made this statement that the party believes in zoning, the issue of which zone will take advantage of the zoning policy is a matter the PDP as a party and not me as the chairman will make pronouncement upon at the appropriate time. At the appropriate time, the party will say or do something about it. On sacking of council bosses The Court of Appeal has made pronouncement on that, describing the governor’s action illegal. So, that Court of Appeal decision is still valid because, it has not been set aside. Now, the governor has purported to have sacked the chairmen because according to him, their tenure is over and the chairmen are in court. As I’m talking to you now, there is an order of court in favour of the LG chairmen. What all this will mean is that nobody should tamper with the status quo until the matter in court is resolved one way or the other. So there is no question about conducting fresh elections. Of course, are you going to conduct election when the chairmen are still deemed to be occupying their offices? Are you going to elect people who will wait for them to now finish their tenure before you swear them in? No no! Things are not done like that.

Stop this profligacy, Mr. President!

The brouhaha that the contract cost for building the residence of the vice-president has thrown up is a clear indication of the insensitivity and the cluelessness that characterise the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. In a nation where the majority of the citizens are living below poverty line, homeless and with no indication that the situation will improve any time soon, the people at the helm of affairs are starkly projecting that they are there to feather their nest rather than serve those who put them in the saddle. Spending a whopping N14 billion to build such an edifice is unarguably a case of misplaced prority. It is even most befuddling that the contract had to be revised to suit some peculiar tastes and outlook of the incumbent vice-president. At a time when the government should be worried about putting food on the table of the average Nigerian, providing opportunities for the generality of Nigerians to be properly accommodated and facilitating the movements of the people, a forward-looking and sensitive administration would as of priority budgeted adequately for welfare schemes that will improve the lot of the people. The step being taken by the government has left many wondering why it would have taken the measure of removing the oil subsidy with a claim to putting the savings on efforts to improve the welfare of the people, only to end up spending it on frivolous projects such as the vice-president’s residence and the president’s banquet hall. The president, to me, has totally derailed. His selling point when he was campaigning for office was that he grew up as a young person without shoes and could, therefore, empathise with the common folks. His current gestures totally belie this! I am calling on him, if he desires to be on the good side of history, to retrace his steps immediately and stop frittering away the commonwealth of the people. He has to pay more serious attention to improving the electricity generation and supply in the country. The seeming gains that were made during the tenure of the former Minister in the sector, Barth Nnaji, have declined. The government seems to have now totally lost his bearing in the energy sector. Nigerians are daily going through hell trying to get fuel for their vehicles. The queues are endless and fuel is constantly in short supply. The Boko Haram terrorists are ever wreaking their deadly havocs, decimating human lives and destroying properties. With these myriad of problems, it is unimaginable for any government to ever think of misapplying the resources of the country for frivolous projects such as the proposed opulent vice-president’s residence and the president’s banquet hall. •Effiong Udoh wrote from Calabar.

Sanusi to FG: Stop accumulating debts for future generation

On December 26, 2012 • In News 9:53 pm By Babajide Komolafe LAGOS— Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has warned the Federal Government to stop accumulating debts for future generation by reducing its current levels of borrowing. He said the current level of borrowing, if unchecked, would result to unmitigated hardship for future generations. He urged the Federal Government not to allow the present and unborn generations inherit the heavy burden of foreign debts, cautioning that Nigeria, currently under the suppressing weight of the heavy burden of foreign debts, is in great danger. Speaking at the just concluded conference of Honorary International Investments Council (HIIC), in London, he warned of a great danger ahead if the nation continued to live above its realistic means. His words: “We are borrowing more money today at a higher interest rate while leaving the heavy debt burden for our children and grandchildren. For example, if you receive your salary and everyday the money is not enough, you have two options to adjust yourself; Either check your expenditure or check your wages. He urged the ruling class and the older generations to set good example and educate the coming generations for a better and secured future. According to him, such example should be set by not accumulating debt for future generations to inherit. “Where would the future be for Nigeria, if today should be allowed to destroy the future”, he queried. Mallam Sanusi was among the high-profile Nigerian delegation that attended the 13th session of the Honorary International Investments Council (HIIC) of the Council,which was held recently at Beckley Hotel in Knightsbridge, Central London. The Honorary International Investments Council (HIIC) is a cross-country organisation of prominent investors, drawn from various countries around the world with the task of advising and encouraging governments on economic development issues as concerned nations, especially the fast growing economies in the World. The business conference sessions had Vice President Namadi Sambo leading a strong team of economic planners and policy makers teaming up with business executives to canvass international investors for the country. The conference looked into the best ways of attracting investments to Nigeria and all speakers had the consensus that the nation with many opportunities and natural resources stands to grow faster economically, if the current trend of economic progress was sustained. Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/sanusi-to-fg-stop-accumulating-debts-for-future-generation/

New Year Resolution!

Books will continue to chronicle human history in a world @ flux and full of dynamic mechanics. But how many people read them? I think that there are three types of people who read books. The first group is possibly, a very large group; and consists of people who do not bother hard enough to pass through the rigour and discipline of sitting still, to read books. They, funny though, might even have bought book (s), but never had the time. They simply kept them on private shelves or might even have loaned them out. The second group; not as large as the first group, is populated by persons who managed to read, but forgot what they read. Perhaps, they were really not motivated enough to exhaust the book or lost interest mid-way. The third group; a negligible constituency compared to the overall number; are the genuine intellectuals and thinkers. They read to internalise, absorb and practice. So, where do you belong? Where are your New Year resolutions, do they include books? How many books have you resolved to Read? How many books, commentaries, journal articles etc. do you plan to write in 2013? Happy New Year! Joachim Ezeji

Gender equality and equity - can the real woman please stand up

By
Joachim Ezeji.

It was amazing reading a communiqué the other day which emanated from a Muslim group, the communiqué had advised Muslim women in Nigeria to shun on-going campaigns on gender equality arguing that it is alien and unfriendly to faith and culture.

Ever since reading that report on a local newspaper, I have been very curious to know the red line on gender equality for religious groups such as the Muslims in Nigeria.My interest is deep seated and is intended to be fully discussed here.

However, I am not unaware that the elimination of feminized poverty is a paramount priority for the international community and her local partnerships. I also doubt the ignorance of any educated person or entity on this priority. These priorities are underscored copiously in the Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).The UN Millennium Development Goals, issued by the UN Secretary General in 2001,are a ‘road map’ for implementing the millennium declaration. The MDGs comprise eight goals supplemented by 18 numerical and time-bound targets and 48 indicators intended to improve living conditions and remedy key global imbalances by 2015.Goals 3 calls for gender equality and women’s empowerment. In addition the MDGs address several of the 12 critical areas of concern in the platform for action adopted at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, namely poverty, education, health and environmental sustainability.

In Nigeria, gender issues in development received little attention in national planning until the declaration of the United Nations Decade for women. Hitherto, a woman’s reproductive, productive and community management roles and potentials were marginalized and left out of the system of national planning. Therefore, development planning since the colonial period has been gender insensitive, as a result of the continuous interaction between the indigenous culture and the inherited patriarchy from the colonial administration, as well as the strong inhibiting effects of traditionalism and capitalist ideologies.

In Nigeria, women make up 49.6% of the nation’s total population (1991 census).They are responsible for the reproduction of the labor force and for producing over 70% of the nation’s food supply. About 13.3% of Nigerian women were employed in the formal sector until the 1980’s.This proportion declined rapidly in the process of economic reconstruction as a result of the rationalization of public and private sector workers and cuts in production capacity in industry. The majority of female workers are in lower cadre occupations. Those in professional and marginal occupations constitute only 18% of that grade of employment. Most Nigerian women are informal sector workers who predominate in micro-enterprises with little or no access to credit, technology and other supports required to build up capital. Indeed, it is estimated that a negligible proportion of women in the formal sector has access to credit; hence the high attrition rate of women’s businesses.
But, can thinking gender lead to effective ways to combat poverty, hunger and disease, and stimulate development that is truly sustainable?

In answering this question, I will like to bring in the effects of water or gender implications of water at the household level. Apart from the health implications of water –related diseases, the fetching of water inflicts a heavy burden in terms of time and effort, especially on women and children in the largely un-served areas of our urban and rural areas. Many of these women have to trek long distances to water sources and then wait for long periods in line to fill their buckets. This is part of the daily routine for millions of Nigerian women and girls, often taking up several hours a day. The involvement of children, particularly girls, in this chore restricts attendance at school, as well as time for play. Moreover, water carrying exerts a toll on women’s health. Water containers typically hold about 20litres of water and weigh about 20 kilograms. Carrying such a heavy weight on the head, back or hip has severe health implications for women, who commonly experience backache and joint pains. In extreme cases, spine and pelvic deformities results, creating complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

In view of the foregoing I make bold to emphasize that water is a critical but often overlooked element in sustainable development including gender equity. According to Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ‘...The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) highlighted that water is not only the most basic of needs but is also at the centre of sustainable development and is essential for poverty eradication. Water is intimately linked to health, agriculture, energy and biodiversity. Without progress in water, reaching the other MDGs will be difficult, if not impossible’’.
Further to this, is the realization that water is a key ingredient in generating rural livelihoods, growing food, producing energy, encouraging industrial and service sector growth, and ensuring the integrity of ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. The position of women in some of these activities is eminent and a matter of daily survival.

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) recognizes that women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water, this pivotal role of women as providers and users of water and guardians of the living environment has seldom been reflected in institutional arrangements for the development and management of water resources. The acceptance and implementation of this principle requires policies to address women’s specific needs and to equip and empower women to participate at all levels in water resources programmes, including decision making and implementation, in ways defined by them.

The impact of gender role recognition on water resource policy can be viewed in two broad and fundamental ways; Policy relating to the sustainable management of resources relies on a broad base of stakeholder participation and consultation. The diverse gender roles of men and women in the management and control of water resources require that they are viewed as separate stakeholder groups. And; the development of water resource management policy can impact upon men and women in different ways. Gender-sensitive water resource policy will address the equality of access to the potential benefits of water resource development from the perspective of both men and women. As such, gender-sensitive policy development is a tool by which the interests of marginalized members of society can be incorporated into sustainable approach to water resource management. Beyond water are other concerns such as employment, agriculture and entrepreneurship germane for poverty alleviation and national development.

The prosperity of a nation depends on the efficient utilization of all factors of production, land, labor and capital. Hitherto, the labor of women had been used on a small scale in the formal sector of the economy, a result of the social discrimination in education and training, as well as the gender-based division of labor which is reflected in the formal sector of employment. In Nigeria, women provide an estimated 60-80% of labor input in agriculture, especially in food production, processing and marketing. Many women are farmers in their own right, apart from working on family farms. Although various efforts have been made by several agencies, unfortunately women’s contribution in this regard is not adequately acknowledged in the development of agricultural policy and programmes. This situation must be corrected.

The visibility of women in petty trading gives the false impression that their enterprises are successful and acknowledged. However, a recent assessment of women’s enterprises shows that the constraints to their ability to capitalize and to sustain themselves and their families are enormous. These will have to be removed to ensure the efficient utilization of their labor in those enterprises for socio-economic developments. Poor access to credit, information, appropriate technology, lack of technical skills and poor organization and accounting skills are real problems at all levels of women’s enterprises.

It is now generally recognized that the majority of the world’s poor are women. Goal 1 reflects this by broadening the definitions of poverty to encompass not only income poverty but other dimensions such as lack of empowerment, opportunity, capacity and security. Because many aspects of gender inequality influence the different dimensions of poverty, promoting gender equality in the design of strategies and actions to meet this goal is critical. Gender equality has a direct impact on economic growth and the reduction of income poverty by raising productivity, improving efficiency, increasing economic opportunities and empowering women.

Globally, it is recognized that 90 million of the 150 million children aged 6-11 who do not attend school are girls. Meeting the education goal of the MDG therefore requires that the distinctive conditions preventing girls and boys from attending schools be addressed. Reducing education costs, improving quality, tackling parental concerns about female modesty or safety and increasing the returns to families that invest in female schooling are factors that can overcome social and economic barriers to girl’s education.Goal 2 is the key to achieving Goal 1; eliminating gender disparities in education is one of the most effective poverty reduction strategies.

Women aging 15 and above presently constitute two-thirds of the world’s 876 million illiterates. Working women have less social protection and employment rights; a third of all women have been violently abused; over 500,000 women die each year in pregnancy and childbirth; and rates of HIV/AIDS infection among women are rapidly increasing.

Evidence from countries around the world demonstrates that gender equality is the key to improving maternal and child health and stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Some 500,000 women, the majority in poor countries e.g. Nigeria etc. die each year due to pregnancy-related causes. Reducing maternal mortality depends on the extent of health care availability for expectant mothers, particularly when dealing with complications. Greater control of income by women tends to lower child mortality even when the households total income is taken into account. Child mortality rates are linked to gender-related norms and customs. Globally, 48% of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women and in many regions women make up the majority of infected adults. Meeting the health goals requires an awareness of the biological aspects of disease transmission and treatment as well as the social and cultural factors that promote or reduce good health. Women cannot achieve empowerment and equality unless their reproductive rights are fully and legally realized.

It is however an irony that the foregoing challenges is taken for granted in Nigeria in particular. Statistics are grossly lacking and were available are largely misrepresented. Curiously, keen observation tend to reveal that the bulk of women currently championing gender equality in Nigeria are either unmarried or no longer in marriage. Some of them may be mothers but certainly not wives. The trend these days stretches from lesbians to same sex partners. But for me I know what it means growing up under Papa and Mama. My mother calls my father 'Mine' while my father calls her 'Oma' (Igbo language for good one).The gains of living and being groomed by both parents is inesteemable. The real woman is my mother and other women like her who adds family values to their lives. Both the man and woman need to tangle to achieve a lot, including procreating and raising the children. Not devisiveness, No!

Last year I was among a study team that visited Nanyuki, a distant dry part of northern Kenya. We were desirous of keeping appointment with a group of locals who comprised mostly of the Masai. On arrival for the meeting, we discovered that these locals have waited all day, abandoning every other engagement just to meet and receive us. In their number was a plethora of very poor and famished mothers. For these Masai natives, most of who scratches for survival on the foot of the Kenya Mountain, wealth and affluence is represented by the number of wives, children and sheep one has. I have never stopped to wonder if these men and women ever think of gender equity or equality and what it portends for them. I am also keen to know how many charities or NGOs that have confronted sincerely the gender inequity trap on their behalf as a poverty alleviation strategy.

I have always insisted that gender as a component of the millennium goals is all about poverty reduction and the mobilization of the productive strength and number of women for community development, growth and productivity. I have canvassed this view in many conferences such as held variously at Ottawa, Canada in 2004; Texas, USA in 2006 and Jos, Nigeria in 2005.I have never stopped raising my voice on this matter. At the occasion of the maiden Nigeria national water and sanitation forum held in August 2006 at Abuja I also maintained this opinion, though my views were rudely cut short by a woman university professor who insisted otherwise, and on her own terms. She saw gender more from the lens of political empowerment i.e. getting more women into high political offices such as the governorship and presidency. I saw her position as being uninformed and biased. She got it wrong!

Though political empowerment is vital in Goal 3, it cannot veil its context and realities. Women who insist on political patronage as gender equality are basically seeking easy routes to the top. They forget so soon that women like Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton, and Gordon Meir got into political limelight years before gender campaigns become rife. I am waiting to be presented with facts that shows gender biasness as a factor which favored women leaders such as the leaders of Liberia and Germany during their elections.

It also remains to be proven how the political patronage of women elites in Nigeria has benefited poor rural or urban women in my native Uboma, Imo State or elsewhere.
As a well trained gender ambassador, I have no doubts that gender empowerment more than many issues also favor the elimination of violence and discrimination against women. It favors a good sense of social well being that ‘waters’ the ground for both men and women equally. I wonder what the Masai or Uboma woman can benefit from all these gender campaigns if not social inclusion and farewell to poverty amongst other things. Amongst these Masai and Uboma women is the real woman. They are not even difficult to be found in many other neighborhoods in Nigeria and elsewhere. It is their wants and deprivations that makes gender concerns relevant in today’s world.

Our society must arise to check the rising insubordination of women to their husbands as well as growing lawlessness in many homes today. Responsible for all these are petty issues such as the insistence of some married women on political engagement against the consent of their husbands. It is a reality that caution has been discarded, simply because a woman is bent on going into politics. It is most worrisome that propelling factors in most of these cases may possibly be by the prodding of a ‘lover boy’ and NOT even the desire to serve.

It is my prayer that Non Governmental Organizations working on these issues will rise to the occasion by calling a spade by its true name. The universities in Port Harcourt and Makurdi that pioneered gender studies in Nigeria should not be found wanting on this matter too.Till we get it right, the gender mission remains a challenge.

First published in 2006