Gender Equity: Have We Gone Too Far—or Not Far Enough? | Progress Oberiko

There needs to be a culture, a society that allows women to thrive.

Do you think from, because I like your societal part of things, which will also include the government of things also, do you think that the government has a system or preventive structure, including empowerment for women currently in Nigeria?

I like that you included Nigeria specifically, because no, we don't.

We don't.

There's still a lot to be done, because you would see that in the constitution there is, child marriage is illegal.

in Nigeria, right? But it still happens.

There are many of our leaders in those spaces, let me not mention names, that have really, really young wives that are young enough to be their children.

So child marriage still happens.

So what's the problem? There is a law, and yet there is crime.

What's the problem? So the gap is enforcement.

The lack of enforcement is where the government should step up in.

The judiciary has a huge role to play in that, in enforcing these existing laws that we have.

In Nigeria also, we are still kind of I don't want to say backward but regressive in terms of like even how we interpret the law so there is a law in Nigeria lawyers will tell you that oh marital rape is not a crime so as a man you can rape your wife yes in Nigeria it's not a crime yes but then there are parts of the constitution So the reason for that is that, oh, as a woman, you already consented fully when you said I do on the altar.

So there's no going back.

You already gave I do.

So even there's nothing like I'm not in the mood or whatever.

No, you're not in the mood.

She's not in the mood.

husband has perpetual access to you because you already consented on the day of your marriage.

So marital rape in Nigeria is, that's what a lawyer will tell you, right? So, but then there are parts of the constitution also where you would find like intimate partner violence, where you can still, you know, be penalized for marital rape, but that is not allowed.

We only know that as a man, you cannot rape your wife because that's not rape.

That's like, you know, you're just doing what you're

doing.

No, I think I'm stuck on that part in the sense that marital rape, for instance, and I think let me just put my words on this very particular one, please, men, so at least I can be personal here on this conversation.

you're married, if your wife says she's not in the mood, she's not in the mood.