Globally, Monday 25 November 2024 to Tuesday 10 December 2024 has been slated as 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. The theme of the 2024 version is “Unite! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls”. 10 December of every year is celebrated as World Human Rights Day. As part of the buildup, the Imo State Chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) organised a Law Week and invited me among others eminent jurists to speak on the topic “THE VULNERABLE PERSONS IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA: LEGAL PERSPECTIVE AND REMEDIATION (WOMEN AND GIRL CHILD IN VIEW)”. In my disruptive intervention, while acknowledging the vulnerability of the women and girl child, I made the point that that the greatest forms of empowerment of women and girl child are located within the provinces of three thematic areas namely: education, gender equality and right to political participation. Education of the woman is education of a generation. Educated women are more likely to make informed health, political, marriage, career, economic, cultural and reproductive choices. Generally, education gives individuals the freedom to choose wisely, go after their goals, and make valuable contributions to society. Notwithstanding that the advantages of education far outweigh its downsides, it is unarguable that, on the flip side, education makes an unprincipled person to become a demon or monster in human form.
During that outing with FIDA, Imo State Chapter on 5 December 2024, I had advocated that more women should be given leadership responsibilities and positions in Nigeria. I insisted that the right of women to political participation must be assured, ensured and guaranteed in Nigeria and in the different States of Nigeria. I cited the example that in Imo State for instance, there are 27 House of Assembly members elected to serve between 2019 and 2023. In neighbouring Abia State, there are 24 House of Assembly members elected to serve within the same time frame. The bad news is that none of them is female, yet the role of the legislature under section 4(7) of the CFRN, 1999 as amended is to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the State or any part thereof. I underscored that the implication is that for four complete years (2019 to 2023), women will not contribute a word in the making of laws on far reaching issues concerning them in either Imo State or Abia State. Unlike Abia State and her misogynistic (all male state governance structure (executive and legislature), in Imo State, there is a substantive female Deputy Governor. At the national level, it is equally as pathetic. In the present 10th Senate, out of the 109 Senators, only four are female, which was a reduction from the seven in the 9th Assembly. In the present 10th House of Representatives, there are only fifteen women lawmakers out of the 360 lawmakers. They were 13 women out 360 in the 9th dispensation of the House of Representatives. The President, Vice President, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, all Service Chiefs are male. There is no female Governor in any of the 36 States of Nigeria and no woman has been elected as a substantive Governor in Nigeria since return to civil rule in 1999. None was appointed as Military Governor during the military era. I pointed out that article 27(8) of the Kenya Constitution, 2010 provides that in addition to the measures contemplated in clause (6), the State shall take legislative and other measures to implement the principle that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender.
I concluded that something must be wrong with Nigeria, her laws, politics, and policies and that Nigerian women deserve better and that a New Normal Is Possible!
In a country where there is dearth of good leadership; in a country where there is moral decadence and attitudinal dissonance; in a country where professors brazenly rig elections for corrupt politicians and turn round to sit in University Senates to expel students who are involved in examination misconduct; in a country where corruption has no gender neutrality as both men and women are outcompeting themselves in sleaze and profligacy, it is difficult to single out anyone to celebrate for propriety. In Nigeria, integrity in public office is in very short supply. Impropriety is more like the general rule than exception. The few who show courage and rise above the pedestrian standards are seldom celebrated and rewarded.
Today, we choose to deservedly single out a woman of rare courage for celebration. She is Professor Nnenna Nnannaya Oti. She was born on 15 November 1958 and the current Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Owerri. She assumed duties on 19 June 2021 and is expected to leave office after the expiration of her five-year tenure in June 2026. Outside making history as the first female substantive Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Owerri, Professor Nnenna Oti gained national prominence and attracted humungous global accolades for her heroic acts during the 2023 Governorship election in Abia State. As a thoroughbred academic who is in the business of training students who must be found worthy in character and learning, she stoically refused to truncate the will of Abia State electorate. Unknown to many, Professor Nnenna Oti who is a native of Afikpo in Ebonyi State of Nigeria does not have any conjugal, filial or consanguineous affinity with Governor Alex Otti of Abia State whom she declared the winner of the 2023 Abia State Governorship election against all odds. Professor Nnenna Oti deserves continued celebration and higher National Honours for preventing political violence against Abia State people. She deserves accolades as the Woman of the Decade. Among the intellectual class, Professor Nnenna Oti deserves a pride of place as the Professor who refused to compromise her integrity unlike many others who sold their souls to the devil while on solemn national assignments. Some odious Professors have even been tried and sentenced to prison for rigging election but Professor Nnenna Oti showed that not every Professor is appetitive, cheap, purchasable, compromised, obnoxious, morally bankrupt and unworthy of his or her professorial Chair.
Recently, precisely on 7 December 2024, this woman of substance was in the news when her Federal University of Technology Owerri organised its 36th Convocation Ceremony. Expectedly, the occasion was graced by an array of distinguished personalities including the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator (Mrs.) Oluremi Tinubu, CON, OON, Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, and the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulu. These trio were awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees (Honoris Causa) in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national development and governance. Coming from a foremost academic institution headed by the iconic Professor Nnenna Oti, the awardees deserve big congratulations. I join to warmly congratulate all the awardees because recipients of Honorary Degrees are usually tabled, deliberated, debated and agreed upon by the University Senate. It does not come as a matter of course. No honour or recognition is a trifle. Congratulations is better than sorry. To whom much is given, much is expected. It is also a strategic move by the institution as the recipients are now goodwill ambassadors of the University.
In sum, we celebrate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, 2024 ending with the World Human Rights Day on 10 December by celebrating Professor Nnenna Oti for preventing political violence on Abia electorate in 2023. We urge more women in public offices and on state and national assignments to follow suit. According to Rosa parks, “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right.”
A new normal is possible!
