This month, women’s organisations and female lawmakers joined the outcry against a lawmaker who was suspended by the Nigerian Senate for speaking out against alleged sexual harassment.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s situation, and the striking lack of support she encountered after accusing the Senate president of harassment, highlight the persistent obstacles that women in Africa’s most populous nation still confront.
One legislative source told AFP that harassment is rampant in the Senate, and according to UN statistics, Nigeria ranks 179th globally in terms of the participation of women in national legislatures.
Out of 360 seats, only 17 are occupied by women in the House of Representatives. The suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan has left the Senate with just three female senators out of 109 seats.
Advocates say the consequences are severe for the entire nation.
“We need to rebuild the trust of women and girls who have been undermined by the current system and inspire the next generation,” stated Eniola Edun-Ogunlana, the founder of the education and advocacy non-governmental organisation EME Foundation.
“Imagine women in rural areas, far from the spotlight, enduring the same treatment.”
– Women defend Senate president –
In an interview with local television, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of making unwanted approaches towards her, which sparked the incident.
Akpoti-Uduaghan described the alleged sexual harassment, claiming that the Senate president, who refutes the allegations, repeatedly obstructed a resolution she attempted to push and then linked it to sexual favours.
The senator told broadcaster Arise TV that Senator Akpabio informed her that if she “took care” of him, the motion may pass.
She was suspended for six months within days of her remarks, a decision purportedly supported by a previous dispute that broke out in the Senate chambers.
The Senate majority leader wrote that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was due to “gross misconduct and unruly behaviour and not as a result of the allegation of sexual harassment or assault.”
Credit: ICIR Nigeria
While some, including Edun-Ogunlana and women’s organisations that demonstrated in the capital, Abuja, have defended Akpoti-Uduaghan, other well-known women have publicly opposed her charges.
“You may ask, ‘Why am I not taking a position?’ given what’s happening in the Senate. Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, stated in the aftermath, “I think the Senate is doing what is necessary.”
Tinubu is a member of Akpabio’s governing party, while Akpoti-Uduaghan is in the opposition.
In addition, Tinubu stated that “people compliment you all the time” as a woman.
While the Senate president, who was the target of prior harassment allegations against him in 2020, “jokes a lot,” former senator Biodun Olujimi told Nigerian media.
– Forced to take coffee orders
While other African nations have effectively increased the proportion of women in their National Assembly, Nigeria has not adopted gender quotas.
The few female politicians in Nigeria mostly come from wealthy families and are frequently the spouses, daughters, or sisters of politicians.
That gives fuel to the stereotype that women are not qualified for office—despite notable contributions from women during the colonial and post-colonial eras, Akinsola Alaba Agagu, a political science professor at Ekiti State University, told AFP.
A former National Assembly employee, who asked to remain anonymous due to the delicate nature of the subject in the socially conservative nation, told AFP that sexism is rampant in the upper chamber itself.
During a disagreement among the senators in 2016, Tinubu filed a complaint, claiming that another senator had threatened to rape her, according to local media at the time.
“Whether you’re a member of parliament or a senator, you’re not respected in this environment,” according to a source.
“In meetings, it’s difficult to make our voices heard,” she commented. “We’re given tasks like managing the catering or serving coffee.”
Despite ten years of political service in the Lagos State Government and the National Assembly, she resigned in her 30s due to persistent sexism
“Our treatment also depends on factors like age and marital status. It’s preferable to be older than fifty.”
