Zero Discrimination Day: Lessons for Nigeria

Zero Discrimination Day is observed each year on 1st March. This crucial day aims at eliminating all forms of discrimination and fostering egalitarianism for the human race globally. The theme of this year, 2021 is “Zero Discrimination against Women and Girls”.

In joining the rest of the world for marking this crucial day in Nigeria, females that make up about half of the country’s population have been being buried in a grisly grave of lingering discrimination and gender disparity, more especially in the northern part of the country, compared to their counterparts in other countries.

It is tear-jerking that Nigerian women and girls have been being bedeviled by illiteracy, lack of financial empowerment, lack of access to quality education, gender inequality, rampant divorce, domestic violence and oppression from males that culminate in abject poverty. This untold plight, coerce these pessimistic women and girls into prostitution and other crimes.

Parents and Nigerian authorities at all levels should make every effort to achieve goal 1, 5 and 8 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals so as to turn a new leaf in the area of gender equality and empowerment of women since they are regarded as the main drivers of stimulating economic growth of every nation. Their financial independence is a matter of necessity and empowering them serves as investing in generations that are yet to come.

According to UNICEF, more than 5.5 million school-aged girls are out-of-school in Nigeria. The major reasons for this conundrum include: poverty, child labour, gender inequality, lack of sponsorship conflicts, disabilities, parents separation or divorce, human trafficking, rape and child abuses. The significance of formal education for our school-aged females cannot be underestimated towards contributing to economic growth of Nigeria for generations to come.

The Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the National policy on Education advocates access to formal education for all Nigerians as it is one of their giant right irrespective of gender, religion, ethnicity and disability. It touches my heart how Nigerian girls have been being banned from enrolling into higher institutions after graduating from senior secondary schools in the northern part of the country.

As stated by the World Bank collection of development indicators in 2019, approximately half of Nigeria’s total population is female which represents 49.33%. In 2020, female population rose to 101 million persons. Besides, a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that there are 12.2 million unemployed women in Nigeria. These figures came into being on account of rampant divorce, religious or cultural reasons and unwarranted marginalization.

Being the State Party of the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted in December 18, 1979, which is regarded as an international bill of rights for women, Nigeria’s reports being submitted to the CEDAW’s committee each year, may be unrewarding because of the imbalances that are yet to be addressed.

In fact, President Muhammadu Buhari should be commended on the ongoing payment of N5,000 monthly stipend for impoverished and vulnerable Nigerians as well as people with disabilities; most of the beneficiaries are widowed, grey-haired and divorced women. This laudable programme, which is under a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme (CCT), is one of the FG’s myriad Social Intervention Schemes that earnestly aims at alleviating abject poverty of poorest people, targeting one million poverty-stricken Nigerians.

Today, many Muslim parents associate their refusal of enrolling their daughters in higher institutions with Islam. This is a ludicrous thought or perception because even during the earliest days of Islam, countless Muslim women were not lagged behind in all major fields of human endeavours. Enthusiasm is a vital ingredient in all human endeavour.

Islamic and Arabic history couldn’t shut its eyes to Rufaida bint Saad Al-Aslameya that was the first nurse, midwife and surgeon in the Islamic and Eastern World. She used to accompany prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during his wars and participated in many battles such as Badr, Uhud, Khalbar and others. She was also leading a group of volunteer female nurses responsible for taking care of the wounded and ill soldiers in her tent. Even in a peaceful time, pregnant women, disable persons and sick people were being hospitalised in her tents.

The codes of ethics for nursing and medical care designed by Rufaida is unforgettable as she established new rules and traditions for nursing considered to be precursors for the modern nursing techniques. Rufaida passed her clinical knowledge to other women, including Prophet Muhammad’s wife, Aisha bint Abakr. She established a school where she taught young women nursing, first aid and emergency care. The school was the first nursing school in the Middle East. She was an advocate for healthcare, health education and disease prevention.

Obviously, Rufaida Al-Aslameya proven for the world that Muslim and Arab women are capable of contributing to the sciences and pursue hand jobs. She must be considered as a role model for young Arab and African women nowadays. Several of women like Rufaida, played their central role in medical sciences, technology, business, military and politics.

Fortunately, his Highness, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan A-Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates responded to positively to Rufaida’s legacy by following in her footstep towards promoting gender equality, strengthening women’s capacities, activating their role in community services and empowering them to play their pivotal role in their country’s economic diversification. Emirati females are fortunate as their brighter future has been being built firmly from the vision of their founding father. Emirati women have been access to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education for decades. Now, Literacy rate of UAE’s females is 95.1%, compared to 92.56% of their male counterparts. Nearly, two-thirds of university graduates are women as well as 77% are computer science students and 44% are engineering students. Today, Emirati women occupied 66% of public sector jobs.

There are so many great lessons that Nigeria should be learnt from UAE. In achieving that, all hands should be on deck to keep gender disparity and women’s challenges at bay. As times is being changed along with the demands of any nation, thus, collective action should be put in place to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls in Nigeria. We must come to the aid of divorced and widowed women in northern Nigeria.

I appeal to the FG, state governments, federal legislative body and non-governmental organizations, to replicate the United Arab Emirate by earmarking some funds for women’s economic empowerment in their annual budget allocation to lift our pessimistic women out of poverty and make sure that they are financially independent.