By Emmanuel Afonne
THE FEDERAL government has been urged to review the country’s gender policy to ensure its provisions are effectively and fairly applied.
Iyabode Nwabueze, a professor of English Language, made the call on Thursday while delivering the 27th inaugural lecture of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, with the topic, “The woman is first human”.
Nwabueze said that the review would encourage a socialisation process to ensure that children are trained to see one another as equal, no matter their gender.
“My projection for gender studies has always been that the woman can,” she said.
Nwabueze called on the government to create a level playing ground for women to excel.
“It is always easy for us to see ability in women that are our sisters, cousins and even mothers, but it is difficult to see it in other women, as we only see them as women and thus not human beings first.
“Even though I had always felt that the woman is not properly treated and linguistically abused, but from experience, I also know that she does not lack what it takes to achieve results, if given all that she needs as a person to succeed in whatever endeavours she undertakes.
“This enables us to use language that indicates they are human beings when we address them, talk about and with them.
“Taking it to the general world (and our female partners) around us will help move the world forward,” she added.
According to Nwabueze, appointing officials in terms of their ability rather than sex will earn them respect and also drive the country into economic prosperity.
She noted that communication filled with mutual respect would create self-assertive women which in turn would help solve most of the economic, social and security challenges in the country.
“That the human brain is not gendered indicates that she is first and foremost a human being and this should be our focus.
“If we will not treat the women in our immediate families as parents, then we should look only for abilities in all women we come across.
“The issue of concession for the woman is to me an insult to her person; as such, concessional positioning for the woman will never allow her to actualise her dream.
“Facing the reality of the need for her to be actualised is the way to help her get all the support she needs.”
She called for a level playing ground where men and women can compete for opportunities, noting that the United Nations (UN) 35 per cent affirmative action for women was not what the women folk needed to exhibit their talent.
The academic also blamed religion for some of the difficulty women face in realising their dream.
“The likes of late Prof. Dora Akunyili, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Centre; former Director at the World Bank, Dr Oby Ezekwesili etc, did not need the UN affirmation to be world figures.
“According to Karl Marx, ‘Religion is the opium of the masses”. Religion has caused a lot of havoc on women.
“She has become self-effacing; she has been relegated to the second position and much more.
“She has chosen to be trampled upon in the name of satisfying religious obligations. While she is confined to the second row in the church, she is not worthy to pray along with men in the mosque.
“So, to free herself and take her place in religion, probably it is only in the African Traditional Religion she may have hope,” Nwabueze said.
Earlier in his address, the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, described Nwabueze as a dogged professor who had contributed so much to the development of the university.
Peters who was represented by Prof. Godwin Akper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Technology Innovation and Research, NOUN, said Nwabueze had become a name to reckon with in the Faculty of Art of the institution.
“Our inaugural lecture is supposed to be for 45 minutes no matter the dissertation you write but because the woman is the first human, we kept quiet and allowed her to present her lecture with enough time.” (NAN)
