The Senate Tuesday killed a bill seeking to guarantee women equal rights with men as senators mainly from the North vehemently opposed the bill, describing it as anti-Islam. The Bill went through intense debate almost polarizing the Senate before it was finally jettisoned.
In her lead debate laced with sheer brilliance and oratorical finesse, the promoter of the bill, Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), said enabling women to have equal rights with men in marriages had become compelling in view of increasing discrimination against women in education and employment.
The bill also sought to eliminate discrimination against any person irrespective of his gender on any ground including sexual violence against women.
According to her, gender discrimination often makes women insecure, denies them meaningful employment and exposes them to discrimination and exploitation.
Her words: “The fact that disparity of gendered pricing still exists within today’s society shows that women still continue to be disempowered in many aspects of economic life.
“It is also important that price differentials will have differing effects on women different cultural backgrounds and social standing thus affecting the economic empowerment of women in different ways.
“Equal rights for women in marriage, divorce and property and ownership and inheritance are essential for gender equality. The legal and social treatment of married women has been often discussed as a political issue from the 19th century onwards”.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu supported the bill but Senators Ibn Na’allah (Kebbi South), Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East), and a host of senators from the North rejected it, saying it was both anti-lslamic and unconstitutional.
Opponents of the bill said its provisions were antithetical to a provision of the constitution which they said had already taken care of the fears being raised by Olujinmi.
According to them, the Sharia Court of Appeal which is enshrined in the constitution is empowered to address issues of discrimination against women as they insisted that initiating a new law to guarantee the equality of men and women would be a violation of the provision.
Some other senators also argued that attempting to grant women equal rights with men was in contradiction to both traditional and religious beliefs in Africa which stipulate that women should be submissive to men.
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, also rallied to save the bill but his effort was too little too late as an overwhelming avalanche of nays sounded a death knell on the bill through a voice vote.
