The Place And Position Of Women In Urhobo And Isoko Communities

By Young Erhiurhoro

I’m writing this piece to celebrate and commemorate this year’s “International Women’s Day” as established by the UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations Organization many years ago. It’s a remarkable day worthy of celebration by both the women and even the men, considering the meaningful and impactful contributions made by women to advance societal values in our various communities across the country. This is why, a day like this supposed to be declared a public holiday or work free day for all Nigerians by the federal government to enable the celebration make much positive impacts on our female children especially those in rural areas in the country.

To be frank, so many rural women are not even aware of this day and how it’s celebrated in the country at a time like this. Some only heard the jingles in the radio or television as advertised by few non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or heard about it as a news report at the end of the day. This is not encouraging in this 21st century in a country like Nigeria that defines itself as the giant of Africa. Some of the women that even heard about this celebration didn’t take it important as it has no impacts or meaningful contributions to their lives as women and female children in their various communities.
In fact, without dancing around the bush, there are different factors helping to breed the above social challenge amongst our women and the girl-child in our rural communities for not participating or partaking in such national or international programmes of women. For instance, lack of awareness and sensitization from the government is a key factor. From the top tier to the last tier of government in Nigeria, we have ministries of women affairs and social development and some other women agencies and organizations attached to the three tiers of government. What are the roles of these ministries and agencies in the country?
The above question is the missing link as to what has created the sheer ignorance amongst so many women and our female children today in Nigeria in regard to their rights as citizens of the country. These ministries and agencies responsible for the affairs of women as established by both federal and state governments have woefully failed in their duties. These ministries and agencies are only existing in names to collect the annual budgetary allocations with little or no programmes and projects to show for the huge financial allocations.

ALSO READ: NLO1 Match Day1: Eremiokhale Says Dominating Possession Is Not Enough After Sunsel Defeat

In modern and advanced societies in the world, the old saying that, “Woman’s education ends in the kitchen” doesn’t hold water again. Today, women have become presidents of their countries. Some have become vice presidents, ministers, commissioners, permanent secretaries etc. It is only in Nigeria that, women are not allowed to contest for the position of president from any political party but in the western world, women can contest for any elective position. This can only happen as a result of ignorance and lack of knowledge in a civilized society. This is why as an advocate of equity and fairness, I’m agitating that, the 2023 general elections, the position of the president of the country should be left for the women to contest from any political party this time as thier fundamental right and also to create equity, fairness and justice in our democratic process. This is a special awareness tool to make the women know their rights and actively participate in the political process of this country.
Again, the old saying that, “What a man can do, a woman can do it better” holds tight water in modern societies. Today, women have broken records and made remarkable achievements in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and other security agencies across the world. In fact, women have triumphed in virtually all known professions and careers and also perform better than many of the so-called men. It’s true, what a man can do, a woman can do it, even better. The historical records and feats of women’s achievements in different professions and disciplines are incredible and visible for all to see. Which area or sector today that women are not found? They are everywhere!

Unfortunately, in the case of Nigeria and other African countries, the numbers of women as celebrities and record breakers in every known profession or career are always infinitesimal. They are always few compare to the large numbers of men in such professions. Here in Nigeria, many of our women and girls are naturally restricted to engage in some arts and trades as a result of the African culture and tradition. Though this cultural yoke is being broken gradually in urban areas, but it’s still very pronounced in many rural communities across the country.

Why is it so in this modern age? It’s so because all the ministries of women affairs in the country have failed to provide the necessary information, knowledge and education these rural women and girls need to know to excel generally in life. This is where the issue of awareness and sensitization comes in. Many of these rural women and girls are still tied down to harsh and obnoxious cultural laws and traditions by infringing on the rights and roles of women in the society. To them, their major roles as women in the society is to procreate, cook food and take care of the home. Anything outside these cardinal roles, is against the culture of the land and none of them want to be victims of such cultural violations in thier various rural communities. This has eaten deep into their dignity as human beings and reduced their economic lives in our rural communities. It has made them second class citizens and restricted them to ordinary “help mates” for the men.
To buttress the above points, in traditional or community leadership in Urhobo and Isoko communities for instance, women are never allowed to be president-generals or chairmen of communities. It’s a cultural taboo. There are some positions in the community that women are not allowed to contest for by our cultural laws and the natural environment. For example, women can’t be kings in virtually all communities in both Urhobo and Isoko ethnic regions. In our own case, the saying that, women’s education end in the kitchen is practically true. Without doubt, our women’s participation in politics, business and community leadership is limited by the intrigues of culture and tradition in our various communities especially in Urhobo and Isoko ethnic regions. In this case, I want to appeal to our traditional leaders to have a rethink on the constant review of some of our harsh and obnoxious cultural laws on women in the different traditional institutions in the community and also in government or corporate affairs.

A tour on some of these rural communities in Urhobo and Isoko lands will confirm to you that, the ministries of women affairs are only established by government as a medium to siphon public funds to private pockets and not to develop the women as the core mandate of establishing such ministries. A tour to these rural communities will confirm to you, the level of ignorance and lack of awareness amongst the part of our women to know their fundamental and personal rights as citizens of this country and indigenous rights of their various communities.

Today, in these rural communities, many of the girls like their mothers have abandoned education and also learning of trades or acquiring skills because to them, education has nothing to offer them at the end of the day than to marry. This is why, to these set of girls, marriage is the only divine duty assigned to them by God. One won’t be afraid to see the rising case of early marriages and pre-marital relationships amongst our girls in the various rural communities. Many of these girls are dropping out of school on daily basis as a result of these social disorder. It’s almost becoming a cultural norm and habit amongst our girls to engage in early marriages and child procreation than to pursue their academic studies with seriousness. Only very few are exempted from this social class especially in the rural areas.

However, to right the wrong and to correct the above cultural anomalies in our rural communities, traditional institutions and community leaders should be pragmatic and proactive in reviewing the cultural laws against women from time to time as the practice in modern societies. In this case, enlightened and educated people should be elected or appointed as traditional rulers and community leaders to move away from some of these crude and archaic cultural laws affecting the growth and development of talents and potentials of our women in our communities. Let the Urhobo and Isoko traditional institutions look into this cultural fallacy with a way to amend and review them to suit international best practices.

Secondly, both the federal and state ministries of women affairs and social development in the country be strengthened and restructured by the government to carry out thier core and strategic responsibilities in developing the education, talents and potentials of the women and the girl-child in the country. To achieve this easily, the ministries of women affairs in collaboration with ministries of education and other national or international women organizations must continue to sensitize the women and our girls from time to time to fully know their rights as women and citizens of the country. Such sensitization programmes should be done mostly in the rural communities to achieve this basic objective. Again, pet and big projects should be sited in the various rural communities by these ministries and agencies for the training of women in different skills and trades. This will help to raise the economic status of our women in the society.

Thirdly and the last, religious organizations like the Church and other African traditional religious homes should take it as a point of divine duty to create positions for women to excel and demonstrate thier talents and potentials in such places of worship. They should also establish women and girls organizations in such religious homes to boost the participation of women in leadership, politics, business, education and other important sectors of life. In this case, such religious homes must join forces with the government and community leadership to constantly organize programmes that can create awareness and sensitization on the needs and desires of women and our girls and how to achieve them. Let’s give the place and position of women to them as thier personal and fundamental rights in our homes, communities and the country at large even though we are living in male dominated societies. Let’s do this like the practice in modern and advanced societies of the world. Happy International Women’s Day celebration!

Young Erhiurhoro;Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.