THE Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has warned licensed oil and gas industry operators that they risk losing their licence if they fail to remit a three per cent annual contribution to host communities development trust fund.
The warning followed delays in such remittance by some oil firms despite the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) making the payment compulsory.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 2, NUPRC said the delay in remittance could trigger an uprising from host communities, which would negatively affect investments in the oil sector.
“The attention of the management of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has been drawn to the agitation by host communities in the oil and gas producing areas of the Niger Delta region over the delay by industry settlors/operators in remitting the statutory fees governed by Section 235 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.
“Clearly, the Commission understands and shares in the sentiments and particularly the patience of the host communities on this issue, especially as the PIA had suspended the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), replacing both provisions with a new Host Community Development Trust Fund,” the regulator said.
The regulator also expressed concerns that such delays could truncate efforts at stabilizing the value of the naira, attaining the much-desired rebound in the national economy and improving the nation’s macro-economic status.
“The statutory provision of the PIA regarding the annual contribution of operators in the industry, under Section 240 (2) of the PIA, 2021, is very clear, and it states that each settlor, where applicable through the operator, shall make an annual contribution to the applicable host communities development trust fund of an amount equal to three per cent of its actual annual operating expenditure of the preceding financial year in the upstream petroleum operations affecting the host communities for which the applicable host communities development trust fund was established”.
“It must be stated that given the implications of allowing continued default on sustained peaceful operations and the eventual effect on national oil and gas output, the Commission will be minded to activate its regulatory powers, in line with the provisions of the Act as stated above, to bring defaulting and recalcitrant settlors into compliance, “it said.
Findings revealed that prompt payment of host community trust fund is key to stabilising Nigeria’s oil market and halting oil theft as Nigeria lost over N16 trillion to oil theft in 12 years.
Records from the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) latest policy brief noted that the volume of crude oil stolen represented a loss of over 140 thousand barrels per day, adding that between 2009 and 2018, the country lost 4.2 billion litres of petroleum products from refineries valued at $1.84 billion.
OVER 60 illegal immigrants have been intercepted by the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
They include 60 Cameroonians and a Burkinabe fromthe Ibafo and Sagamu areas of the state.
The state Comptroller of Immigration Service, Olufunmilayo Olayemisi, said 51 others believed to be accomplices from Nigeria were also arrested.
Parading the suspects at the command’s office along the Presidential Boulevard in the state capital, Olayemisi said the suspects were without valid travel documents.
She said they were threats to Nigeria and would be repatriated to their countries of origin.
She stated that the illegal migrants remained threats to national security and would be repatriated to their countries of origin after due consultations with their countries.
It will be recalled that in 2022, the immigration service arrested 32 Chadians and one Togolese in the State.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has recalled all ambassadors appointed by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. They comprise career and non-career.
The decision paves the way for the President to replace the recalled officials with his appointees.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, announced the recall through his media aide, Alkasim Abdulkadir, on Saturday in a statement.
The statement confirmed the ambassadors’ recall following doubts surrounding an earlier directive on the Nigerian ambassador to the UK, Sarafa Ishola.
In a letter dated August 31, 2023, the minister wrote to Ishola, “I have the honour to notify you of Mr President’s decision to recall you, signalling the end of your tenure as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Kingdom.
“By this communication, you are now expected to commence the propose (sic) of winding down your affairs, take formal leave of your host government within sixty days and return to Nigeria by 31st October 2023 at the latest.
He expressed Tinubu’s appreciation for his service as Nigeria’s Ambassador and Principal Representative in the United Kingdom.
“While looking forward to welcoming you in Abuja on your return, please allow me to join Mr. President in thanking your Excellency for your exemplary leadership and service to Nigeria. I wish you God’s continued guidance in your future endeavours.“Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration,” he added.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian Government has said it would redesign the ongoing construction of the Akure – Ikere – Ado-Ekiti Expressway with concrete rather than asphalt.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this during a visit to the acting Governor of Ondo state on Friday, September 1.
Umahi, who was in the South-West to inspect federal roads on which works were ongoing, said Nigerians should expect more concrete pavements on the nation’s roads due to their extended durability compared to bitumen-based roads.
According to him, roads constructed with bitumen do not last beyond 15 years, while those built with concrete technology have a minimum of 50 years lifespan.
“Any road construction contract, awarded by the Federal Government, with less than 20 per cent progress would be redesigned to concrete pavement roads,” Umahi declared.
On March 30, 2023, towards the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari, The ICIRreported that the FG approved N95.8 billion for the dualization of the Akure/Ita Ogbolu-Iju/Ado Ekiti road, linking Ekiti and Ondo states.
The former Minister of State for Works, Umar El-Yakub, revealed that the first section of the road project on the Ondo side was awarded to two construction companies at the cost of N46.6 billion, adding that the remaining N49.2 billion would be used for the second section of the project from the Ekiti State border.
The ICIR gathered that the road had been a subject of discussions between the Federal Government and the two state governments in the past years, as it has wide economic importance.
Umahi argued that the exclusive dependence on bitumen imports had been straining the national currency, and the adoption of concrete pavement roads would contribute significantly to utilizing local resources.
He said: ”You see jobs that are still ongoing, and that is why we are going round and then redesigning a portion of roads that are maybe 10 to 20 per cent completion, and we are sure that this is the way to go and it has a guarantee of 50 years.
“Not only that, you find out that we are having so much pressure on the naira; the importation of bitumen is a lot of pressure on the naira. So, cement is a local content, and almost everything we need is not produced in Nigeria.”
He also stated that all Federal Government road projects awarded three years ago were due for review, adding that some had been reviewed through VOP (Variation of Price).
The Minister also pointed out that road construction is a constantly changing sector, with material prices continuously rising and fluctuating.
He decried a growing reduction in the quality of bitumen compared to what was obtained in the past.
“Let me put it on record that bitumen imported in the 1950s and 1960s is of higher quality than what we have today, so we have a lot of problems on our hands, and that is why we are courageous to introduce the concrete road department,” he stated.
In his remarks, the acting Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, emphasized that many federal roads in the state had either deteriorated or received inadequate maintenance, with many experiencing severe degradation.
Aiyedatiwa called for the dualisation of the Ore-Ondo-Akure road and highlighted the need to rehabilitate the Ore-Okitipupa road among other federal roads in the state.
“It is noteworthy to mention that the intervention of my boss (Governor Rotimi Akeredolu) is principally what has made these roads remain in their present motorable state,” he noted.
SEVEN persons, including five worshippers, have been reportedly killed by suspected bandits in Saya-Saya village of Ikara local government area of Kaduna State.
The five worshippers were gunned down in the village mosque, while the remaining two other victims were killed at different locations.
Locals explained that the incident occurred around 8 p.m. while villagers conducted their sunset prayers (Isha’i) at a nearby mosque on Friday, September 1.
A resident, Dan Asabe, said two other villagers who sustained gunshot wounds were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Confirming the incident, the village Head, Abdulrahman Yusuf, said the head of the vigilante in the community was among the victims killed inside the mosque.
“We suspected they traced him (vigilante boss) to the mosque to attack him. We were inside the mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed at the mosque, while a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village,” he said.
According to him, security forces, including soldiers and police from Ikara town and the Palgore area, reached the location at approximately 12:30 a.m. However, the bandits had already departed from the village by that time.
He also mentioned that one of the individuals injured by gunfire was transported to Aminu Kano Hospital for medical care.
Also, while confirming the incident, the acting Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mansir Alhassan, said security personnel had been mobilised to nearby bushes to fish out the perpetrators.
He also stated that the police and other security agencies were not informed of the attack until after the attackers left the area.
Kaduna state has, over the years, witnessed a recurring wave of insecurity that has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, including some security personnel, the displacement of many people, and extensive damage to hundreds of hectares of land.
In addition to the recurring bandit attacks, the state has grappled with other security issues, including religious tensions and ethnic conflicts.
In 2021, The ICIRreported how deaths from insecurity causes were higher in Kaduna State than all people who died from the insurgency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
In 2022, The ICIRreported how parents withdrew their children and wards from school in the state because of insecurity.
According to records released by the state government in April 2023, approximately 1,266 individuals fell victim to bandit attacks in Kaduna State over the past 15 months.
The report stressed that 746 persons were kidnapped in the state, and another 214 persons were killed in similar incidents between January and March.
“Between January and December 2022, 641 deaths were recorded in Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone, while 349 deaths were recorded in Southern Kaduna Senatorial Zone, and 62 deaths in the Northern Senatorial Zone, bringing the total to 1,052 deaths as a result of banditry and other attacks.
“214 persons were killed between January and March 2023 in attacks by bandits/terrorists, communal clashes, violent attacks, and reprisals,” Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Samuel Aruwa said.
The ICIR reports that insecurity affects many states in Nigeria. On August 14, The ICIR also reported that within the first 45 days of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inauguration – May 29 to July 13 – more than 600 individuals had lost their lives due to violence perpetrated by non-state actors nationwide.
According to data, the killings happened primarily from activities of bandits, Boko Haram insurgents, ethnic militias, armed robbers and other non-state actors.
Data from SBM Intelligence, an analysis platform, revealed that about 629 Nigerians were killed in the last 45 days under President Tinubu.
Other data from the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) and media reports checked by The ICIR showed that non-state actors killed 587 people within the same period.
THE Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has said the drop in Nigeria’s Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption by 30 per cent was a result of removal of petrol subsidy by the current administration.
Kyari, who gave the information, at a joint press conference with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, in Abuja on Friday, September 1, said fuel subsidy removal had unmasked Nigeria’s real consumption figures.
He explained that the drop in fuel demand from 66.7 million litres daily before to about 46 million currently also meant a 30 per cent reduction in NNPCL’s demand for foreign exchange to import fuel.
“Oil production ramped up to 1.6 million barrels by Wednesday, August 30, from a very poor position of less than 1 million a few months ago,” he said.
PMS subsidy had kept prices cheap for decades in Africa’s biggest economy but it became increasingly expensive for the country – the government spent $10 billion last year – leading to wider deficits and driving up government debt.
Since the subsidy was ended, a black market in neighbouring Cameroon, Benin and Togo that relied on petrol smuggled from Nigeria has collapsed.
Despite having spent $2.41 billion on the subsidy in the first five months, Nigeria could save up to $5.10 billion this year from scrapping the petrol subsidy and from FX reforms, the World Bank said on June 27.
THE State Security Services (SSS), also called DSS by many, has arrested a deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Obiora.
Obiora is in charge of economic policy at the CBN.
According to reports, his arrest is connected to the ongoing trial of the suspended CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, accused of financial mismanagement.
According to reports, Obiora, who resumed as a Deputy Governor in the Central Bank of Nigeria on March 2, 2020, is being sought as a critical witness against Emefiele.
Several attempts to confirm the arrest of Obiora from the Spokesperson of the SSS, Peter Afunanya, were unsuccessful as he did not pick up his call or respond to WhatsApp and SMS messages sent to his mobile line.
The ICIR reports that the SSS confirmed the arrest of Emefiele on June 10 after President Bola Tinubu suspended him on Friday, June 9, as the CBN governor.
Emefiele’s arrest was confirmed by the public relations officer of the SSS, Peter Afunaya, in a tweet posted on its official Twitter handle on Saturday, June 10.
The ICIRreported how President Tinubu suspended Emefiele shortly after assuming office and directed him to hand over the affairs of his office to the deputy governor operations directorate, Folashodun Shonubi.
The secret police did not initially give reasons why Emeiele was arrested.
However, the SSS finallyarraigned him for alleged illegal gun possession before the Federal High Court in Lagos on July 25.
He was arraigned on two counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo, however, released him on a N20 million bail bond, with one surety in the like sum.
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, August 15, filed fresh charges against the suspended apex bank chief in Abuja after rearresting him at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
He faces fresh charges filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.
NOLLYWOOD actor Bolanle Ninalowo has separated from his wife, Bunmi, after 18 years of marriage.
He shared the news on his Instagram page on Friday, September 1.
He wrote that he and his wife had decided to go their separate ways after issues between them became irreconcilable.
Ninalowo revealed he had endured to avoid the break-up, especially for the well-being of his children.
He said he recognized the separation as a crucial step “towards a more peaceful and affectionate future.”
According to him, he was heartbroken but not shattered. He expressed sadness in sharing the news to the world that once “adored his beautiful family.”
He wrote, ”Finally, I accept the reality of the end to a road! A sad reality that gives room and hope for a brighter and more fulfilling future! A reality that is sad for my loving and adorable children but necessary for a peaceful and loveable future.
“A sad reality I prayed, nurtured and worked tirelessly hard never to experience for the sake of all. A sad reality I now have to accept as I realize that my kids are much grown with a better sense of understanding and knowledge of my pain and struggles regarding them!
“A sad reality that screams that I won’t live or be around forever and must take care of my health and mental state for the goodness of all. May God help me and reward me with all I truly deserve or punish me for all I have done wrong if that be the case. In the end, we will all live with the consequences of our actions.”
He urged the public to honour their privacy and pray for them as they navigate the healing phase.
The ICIR reports that the actor and his wife celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary in November 2022.
Ninalowo is not the only actor to experience a relationship break this year. Actor Yul Edochie also parted ways with his wife, May.
In a statement released by a law group, DPA Family Law Clinic, in August, it was revealed that May Edochie filed a divorce petition against her husband, Yul, including his mistress, Judy Austin.
According to the statement, May took legal action against them, suing for adultery and seeking N100 million in damages. She also requested a restraining order to prevent Yul from accessing their matrimonial home.
THE Federal Government is set to establish mobile courts to attend to issues relating to sexual harassment and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The decision will help to tackle violence against women and enhance their participation in governance, the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, announced at a media roundtable in Abuja on Thursday, August 31.
The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Global Affairs Canada, and ActionAid Nigeria collaborated with Change Managers International Network, the 100 Women Lobby Group leaders, to organise the event.
Ohanenye said implementing a mobile court to try people mutilating female genital and abusing girls, including university lecturers sexually harassing female students was significant in promoting the rights of the female gender in Nigeria.
“I had a conversation with Mr President two nights ago, who granted me permission to address this matter. I also had a meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) yesterday (Wednesday). However, during our discussion, we faced several obstacles, such as determining the extent of involvement of the state governors,” the minister stated.
According to her, the AGF said they would establish the mobile court when the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Kayode Ariwoola returns from vacation.
“We need a mobile court to facilitate our efforts in sensitising the public about gender-based violence, particularly Female Genital Mutilation as an offence that should not be condoned,” she added.
She told the gathering she would attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to discuss the matter.
Ohanenye stated that paid informants would be used, and mobile courts would be used to bring cases against those responsible for FGM and other types of gender-based violence.
The minister argued for a 50/50 gender representation in power, saying that such a fair distribution might result in positive societal reforms.
Also speaking at the event, former Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Josephine Anenih emphasised the need for women to strategise and overcome societal barriers to their progress in governance.
According to a United Nations Women survey in November 2021, Forty-eight per cent of Nigerian women have been victims of violence since the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the paper “Measuring the Shadow Pandemic: Violence Against Women During COVID-19,” 45 per cent of women in the research’s participating nations have experienced at least one kind of violence directly or indirectly.
The study covered 13 nations, including Albania, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Thailand, and Ukraine.
Women in Kenya (80 per cent), Morocco (69 per cent), Jordan (49 per cent), and Nigeria (48 per cent) had the highest rates of exposure to violence. Less than 25 per cent of people in Paraguay reported having such encounters.
In a different report, Fatima Waziri-Azi, the director general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, stated that more than 30 per cent of girls and women in Nigeria between the ages of 15 and 49 experienced sexual abuse.
Waziri-Azi disclosed in October 2021 at the commissioning of the Benue State Zonal Command office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Makurdi for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV.)
The Director General thanked UNFPA for its intervention and noted that, according to available statistics, “43 per cent of women marry before the age of 18; 30 per cent of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 are reported to experience sexual abuse,” she said at the event, where the Benue Zonal Commander Gloria Bai represented her.
ONYEKA, a Nigerian, is married to an American woman. *Olayemi, another Nigerian, is married to a Ghanaian man. This looks like two Nigerians married to two foreigners, right?
Wrong!
In the eyes of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2023 amendment), Olayemi cannot give her husband citizenship, but *Onyeka can. The reason for this discrimination is simple: Olayemi is female.
There are three ways of becoming a Nigerian citizen — citizenship by birth, citizenship by registration and citizenship by naturalisation, according to Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the constitution.
For the citizenship-by-registration route, either you have a grandparent who is a Nigerian citizen, or you are married to a Nigerian, popularly referred to as ‘citizenship by marriage’.
For the latter, the constitution in section 26 subsection 2a expressly discriminated against women by recognising only marriage to Nigerian men – “any woman who is or has been married to a citizen of Nigeria” – as the way to obtain citizenship by marriage.
Olayemi tells The ICIR the divide is “unfair”. “I don’t think it’s fair,” she said. “What’s the essence of the man being able to give and the woman cannot?”
But there is an anticlimax. Olayemi’s husband lived in Nigeria long before the couple met and married, and he is not interested in Nigerian citizenship.
But she doesn’t care much for the discrepancy.
“I feel the woman too should be given equal opportunity,” she said. “If you are married to a non-citizen, by virtue of that, your husband should be able to apply for citizenship.”
Nura Abubakar, who works in academia, describes the gendered discrimination as misogynistic. “That was really misogynistic. I never knew that.”
Onyeka was not aware of the Constitutional provision that discriminates against women until the interview. He was surprised and shocked.
“Is this true?” he asked. “Wow, this is freaking awful.”
The twist …
Interestingly, this discrimination contradicts Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution. The section gives Nigerian citizens a right to freedom from discrimination by outlawing discrimination on the basis of sex.
The section reads: “A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:-
“(a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religious or political opinions are not made subject; or”
Furthermore, the B part of the section also states that one should not be accorded privilege on the basis of sex, like obtainable, in citizenship by marriage.
“(b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religious or political opinions”.
The principal partner of Spectrum Legal Services, Saidu Mohammed Lawal, agrees that subject to the provision of dual citizenship, citizenship by marriage is discriminatory against Nigerian women.
He, however, notes that should such a woman seek legal remedy, the defence can argue that the section is discriminatory against non-Nigerian men “as it’s discriminatory against the man married to a Nigerian woman at the same it’s discriminatory against the Nigerian woman when she wants to make her husband a citizen”.
But Lawal pointed out that Section 42, which gives the right to freedom against discrimination, only applies to Nigerian citizens. Therefore, the man (non-Nigerian) cannot complain; however, the wife, on the other hand, can.
Lawal said, “A very clear and reasonable interpretation is that it’s discriminatory because it does indirectly confer a right on Nigerian men—and since it does so, Nigerian women married to non-Nigerian men should also enjoy it.”
What can women do?
“The Supreme Court has ruled severally on the issue of citizenship and on the issue of discrimination,” said Onyekachi Umah, managing partner of Bezaleel Chambers.
“There shouldn’t be any difference when I marry or when a woman marries, so ordinarily, it means that whether a man marries or a woman marries, that apparatus of government should accord the same duties, rights and privileges to all. So, it is a problem of the Ministry of Interior.”
He suggested that people suffering from such discrimination—females married to foreigners—are the ones to approach the court for a pronouncement.
“The moment the court makes a pronouncement, that takes over because our laws are made first by the legislature and also the pronouncements of courts,” he said.
Umah explained that the government could only be accountable if citizens demand accountability.
“When we demand from the ministry of interior by going to court, the court will make an order. And the order of the court is binding on all parties,” he said.
“Then we can start talking of Constitutional amendments.”
Attempt at constitutional amendment
Last year, women’s groups and civil rights organisations attempted to get the law amended. It was one of the five gender bills submitted for a constitutional amendment. However, the bill, known as ‘Bill 36’, did not scale through the lower house of the legislature.
“The House of Representatives rescinds decisions on three women-related bills for re-consideration. They are the bills on citizenship, indigeneship and 35% affirmative action for women. The bills failed to secure the mandatory two-thirds votes to pass during voting on the proposed amendments to the constitution,” the lower chamber stated via the official Twitter handle.
The lawmakers had initially rejected the five gender bills but opted for re-consideration following protests across several locations in Nigeria.
At a press briefing in Abuja, civil rights activist Abiola Akinyode-Afolabi said women would continue to pressure the legislators over the rejected bills.
“We also urge all Nigerians, especially women, not to give up hope as we shall continue to apply pressure to persuade the NASS to act responsibly,” she said.
“Citizenship by registration in Nigeria, as it stands, is very biased towards the female gender,” writes Babatunde Christian Denton of the City Law Associates in reaction to Bill 36 rejection.
He added: “The issue of culture and religion has also made it difficult for those who create laws in the country to allow male spouses of Nigerian women to obtain citizenship through their wives. Nevertheless, continuous pressure on the legislators should yield positive results and a change in policy.”
Nigeria immigration: long history of institutional discrimination against women
However, this policy changed only after Priye Iyalla-Amadi, wife of the celebrated author Elechi Amadi, challenged the NIS. Her legal team, leaning on Section 42 of the Constitution, argued that the policy was contrary to the fundamental human rights of married women since no person is to be discriminated against because of their sex.
The discrimination is not on marriage as men were not required to present written consent from their wives.
She argued that she was mature enough to apply for a passport without anyone’s consent since that condition was meant for minors.
The judge, G. K. Olotu, ruled that the NIS position violated Constitutional provisions in Section 42. It also violated Section 18 (3) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, of which Nigeria is a signatory.
Shortly after Iyalla-Amadi’s victory, in 2010, a Nigerian woman at the Nigeria South African consulate was told she could not apply for her children to get passports without their father’s consent.
More recently, in 2023, several women signed a petition against such discrimination as they were asked to produce written consent from the fathers of their children – this is despite the NIS policy, which states that consent from either parent would suffice – alluding to an entrenched institutional discrimination against women.
In all of this, what is the Ministry of Women’s Affairs doing? A message sent to the spokesperson Olujimi Oyetomi is yet to receive any response. It was followed by calls, after which Oyetomi asked that the question should be written and sent to the ministry. There is no email address on the ministry’s website; therefore, the question was sent via the contact form on the website.
Umah, the principal partner at Bezaleel Chambers, writing about the situation, noted: “At this point, the Constitution of Nigeria, being the hunter of the violators and perpetrators of discrimination in Nigeria, should be hunted via Constitutional amendment over its discrimination in citizenship by registration.”
Gender discrimination being treated less favourably because of an individual’s gender is stacked against women who are constantly jumping one hurdle after the other in Nigeria.
Onyeka, the Nigerian married to an American after learning that married women were once required to produce a letter of consent from their husband to obtain an international passport, remarked, “I never knew women dealt with and are still dealing with such unforgivable suffering and humiliation.”
Note: Names with asterisks means a single name of source was used.
*This report was supported by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP), champion building edition.
