Why we should all be feminists

Delving further, I found out that Waangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize was divorced by her ex-husband because she was ‘too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control’. On entering the university, my interest in it was awakened, but in a different twist and […]

Delving further, I found out that Waangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize was divorced by her ex-husband because she was ‘too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control’.
On entering the university, my interest in it was awakened, but in a different twist and a more interesting perspective. I noticed that the women themselves were very passive and acted like they were marginalized by themselves. In class, extra-curricular and political activities, and in fact general school activities, the females did not want to participate to the extent that the school authorities had to give incentive for female participation, a look alike of the women empowerment programme at the national level.
 One that I particularly disagreed with was the rule that for every four of each faculty representative, one must be a female. I disliked this rule because it did not give everyone an equal opportunity. A female must be there whether or not she wants it or even merits it. From findings, I learnt that before this law, no female had ever occupied the post and despite it, they still had to beg them before they volunteered to occupy the post; one which is supposed to be political. I became more confused and decided to do more research on feminism. My findings were very revealing and quite shocking. Something which I gave little or no significance to is almost as sensitive as racism. I realized that many women in the olden days were killed because they expressed feminist opinions. In the present day where people take to the internet and social media to express their views, many pro-feminist writers were heavily criticised and internet wars even began as a result.
Some comments particularly struck me. One woman commented: ‘I know your problem, you don’t have a husband. Men are the heads of the family and should be treated as such. When God gives you a husband, you will understand.’  Another said: ‘How can you say we don’t respect female rights in Nigeria, what of women like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Oby Ezekwensili? Please don’t bring this Western rubbish into Nigeria’.  
Does feminism have a stand in Nigeria, if it does, what is its stand? Does feminism translate ‘anti-manism’ and is it an anomaly to our African institutions? Are women being marginalized themselves, or better put, are women the real anti-feminists? And finally and perhaps most importantly, is feminism really needed in Nigeria, after all we are following traditions which have spelt out the roles and duties of men and women.
I do not have the answers to all these questions, and I probably never will because many of the answers are very opinionated. What I do know for sure is that feminism is not an anti-man concept neither is it an anomaly in our African institutions and as a matter of fact, it is very much needed.
In Nigeria, what is the need of feminism because as stated earlier, are we not following our tradition, whether rurally or urbanely and are the women even complaining?  Feminism is indeed required because young girls and women cannot walk on the streets anytime without the fear of being used as preys to sexual frivolities of devilish men.
There is nothing wrong in wanting male children but when you start investing your whole life and treating the already existent female children you have as sub-human, then feminism is required. Feminism is needed when parents ‘sell’ their daughters off with outrageous prices with the use of the euphemism ‘bride price’. I could go on and on to justify feminism, but I believe by now we get the message clearly as to why feminism is needed. It is only when every sector is irrevocably integrated and each sector solidly empowered that a truly democratized and developing Nigeria can emerge.
Abikan contributed from Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin