Opinion
The Cost Of Women Emancipation
The current clamour for a unisex world by women emancipation apostles all over the world is now a topical issue. The clamour has gained so much ground. Its popularity was made possible by its patronage by the United Nations and some other countries of the world especially the developed world.
Considering a unisex world from human angle might be plausible, but what kind of world is it going to bequeath to us? A world which is completely unisex in which one has to look very closely before knowing whether a human being is a male or female to me is going to be a very strange world full of confusions and negativities.
History has it that a wife’s name was recorded in her husband’s ledger book which made her husband’s property. In those days, the relationship between man and woman was cordial and harmonious. Men were actually the breadwinners, while women of the time used to support their husband in obedience and humility. The warmth of women at home when their husbands return from their daily toils was always felt.
In a nutshell, a deep exploration of available antecedents proves that public life has not been the lots of women. But today, the case is surprisingly different. Modern women today tend to rise from a sudden realisation and have rejected their naturally assistant position. Instead, they opt for public life and have chosen to rub shoulders with men. It is now a popular jingle to hear that whatever a man can do, a woman can do, even better.
Armed with this belief, women are aggressively demanding for equal space in the governance of their various societies. Nigerian women, in order to toe the lines of western women in their agitation, have degenerated to doing things that were hitherto anathema to our moral and cultural values. Nigerian women today are not only involved in politics but want to edge the men out.
It is no longer uncommon to see women attending late night political meetings leaving their husbands at home with children.
For all I know, it is not our culture that a woman becomes a soldier and carries arms, or a police man that runs night duties. I have also never heard where a woman was a taxi driver in the good olden days. But today, we have a lot of them as taxi drivers and bus conductors. That women want to be like men, talk as men, sit as men, dress as men, work as men, think and behave as men, to me portends doom.
Recorded women agitations started in America in the 1840s. in a conference held by women in New York. They called for the amendment of the American Constitution to reflect the existence of women. They argued that the then American Constitution did not recognise women in national life. During this period, American women were disenfranchised and therefore took no part in the politics of America.
In Europe, the German experience gives the picture of women struggle. The Welmer Constitution therefore gave equal political class to both genders. The German women were also granted legal rights to acquire land and own properties. Also in 1970, Britain passed the property act to law which gave British women the right to own properties like their American and German counterparts.
In the fourth international conference held in Beijing China in 1995, women recorded another milestone in their emancipation struggle. Their request for reservation of 30 per cent of positions in governments all over the world was granted.
Nigeria too, during the Second Republic, adopted the U.N. human rights clause through the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act and the 1979 Constitution subsequently granted equal rights to all.
There is nothing wrong in granting some rights to women. Women are human beings and so should not be treated otherwise. But the clamour for equality between men and women is unacceptable.
From the Christian point of view, man is older than the woman. God gave man the charge over everything including woman. This makes sex differences a natural factor that cannot be done away with. Unisex world, therefore, is grossly destructive and shamefully anti-nature.
Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, emphatically stated that the woman is cut out to be rated by man. He stated that the “relationship between the male and the female is naturally that of the superior to the inferior, of the ruler to the ruled”.
Hegel whose works have helped greatly in shaping the human community said inter alia that, the place of the woman is in the home and that the spheres of politics and the state belong to the man.
The intense longing for equality with men by women has grave consequences. We must admit that the moral decadence and chaotic nonsense we are facing today is traceable to this agitation. Today, public and social life has taken women out of their family responsibilities as they struggle to gain a good chunk of the economy. And this has created a yawning gap at home with its great consequences on the children.
If something is not done fast to check the excesses of our women in public life, the brunt will be gross lack of good leaders tomorrow.
Ordy wrote in from Port Harcourt.
John Ordy
From all indications, Nigeria possesses enough human and material resources to become a true economic powerhouse in Africa. According to the National Population Commission (NPC, 2023), the country’s population has grown steadily within the last decade, presently standing at about 220 million people—mostly young, vibrant, and innovative. Nigeria also remains the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with enormous reserves of gas, fertile agricultural land, and human capital.
Yet, despite this enormous potential, the country continues to grapple with underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2023) show that about 129 million Nigerians currently live below the poverty line. Most families can no longer afford basic necessities, even as the government continues to project a rosy economic picture.
The Subsidy Question
The removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been one of the most controversial policy decisions in Nigeria’s recent history. According to the president, subsidy removal was designed to reduce fiscal burden, unify the foreign exchange rate, attract investment, curb inflation, and discourage excessive government borrowing.
While these objectives are theoretically sound, the reality for ordinary Nigerians has been severe hardship. Fuel prices more than tripled, transportation costs surged, and food inflation—already high—rose above 30% (NBS, 2023). The World Bank (2023) estimates that an additional 7.1 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty after subsidy removal.
A Critical Economic View
As an economist, I argue that the problem was not subsidy removal itself—which was inevitable—but the timing, sequencing, and structural gaps in Nigeria’s implementation.
- Structural Miscalculation
Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries remain nonfunctional. By removing subsidies without local refining capacity, the government exposed the economy to import-price pass-through effects—where global oil price shocks translate directly into domestic inflation. This was not just a timing issue but a fundamental policy miscalculation.
- Neglect of Social Safety Nets
Countries like Indonesia (2005) and Ghana (2005) removed subsidies successfully only after introducing cash transfers, transport vouchers, and food subsidies for the poor (World Bank, 2005). Nigeria, however, implemented removal abruptly, shifting the fiscal burden directly onto households without protection.
- Failure to Secure Food and Energy Alternatives
Fuel subsidy removal amplified existing weaknesses in agriculture and energy. Instead of sequencing reforms, government left Nigerians without refinery capacity, renewable energy alternatives, or mechanized agricultural productivity—all of which could have cushioned the shock.
Political and Public Concerns
Prominent leaders have echoed these concerns. Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, described the subsidy removal as “good but wrongly timed.” Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party also faulted the government’s hasty approach. Human rights activists like Obodoekwe Stive stressed that refineries should have been made functional first, to reduce the suffering of citizens.
This is not just political rhetoric—it reflects a widespread economic reality. When inflation climbs above 30%, when purchasing power collapses, and when households cannot meet basic needs, the promise of reform becomes overshadowed by social pain.
Broader Implications
The consequences of this policy are multidimensional:
- Inflationary Pressures – Food inflation above 30% has made nutrition unaffordable for many households.
- Rising Poverty – 7.1 million Nigerians have been newly pushed into poverty (World Bank, 2023).
- Middle-Class Erosion – Rising transport, rent, and healthcare costs are squeezing household incomes.
- Debt Concerns – Despite promises, government borrowing has continued, raising sustainability questions.
- Public Distrust – When government promises savings but citizens feel only pain, trust in leadership erodes.
In effect, subsidy removal without structural readiness has widened inequality and eroded social stability.
Missed Opportunities
Nigeria’s leaders had the chance to approach subsidy removal differently:
- Refinery Rehabilitation – Ensuring local refining to reduce exposure to global oil price shocks.
- Renewable Energy Investment – Diversifying energy through solar, hydro, and wind to reduce reliance on imported petroleum.
- Agricultural Productivity – Mechanization, irrigation, and smallholder financing could have boosted food supply and stabilized prices.
- Social Safety Nets – Conditional cash transfers, food vouchers, and transport subsidies could have protected the most vulnerable.
Instead, reform came abruptly, leaving citizens to absorb all the pain while waiting for theoretical long-term benefits.
Conclusion: Reform With a Human Face
Fuel subsidy removal was inevitable, but Nigeria’s approach has worsened hardship for millions. True reform must go beyond fiscal savings to protect citizens.
Economic policy is not judged only by its efficiency but by its humanity. A well-sequenced reform could have balanced fiscal responsibility with equity, ensuring that ordinary Nigerians were not crushed under the weight of sudden change.
Nigeria has the resources, population, and resilience to lead Africa’s economy. But leadership requires foresight. It requires policies that are inclusive, humane, and strategically sequenced.
Reform without equity is displacement of poverty, not development. If Nigeria truly seeks progress, its policies must wear a human face.
References
- National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2023). Poverty and Inequality Report. Abuja.
- National Population Commission (NPC). (2023). Population Estimates. Abuja.
- World Bank. (2023). Nigeria Development Update. Washington, DC.
- World Bank. (2005). Fuel Subsidy Reforms: Lessons from Indonesia and Ghana. Washington, DC.
- OPEC. (2023). Annual Statistical Bulletin. Vienna.
By: Amarachi Amaugo
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