It’s worrisome that a woman’s existence is reduced to physical, s3xual considerations—Aderonke Ige

Aderonke Ige, a lawyer, human rights activist, advocate of organical African development, and social justice crusader in this interview with ADEOLA OJO, speaks on effectiveness of diverse empowerment schemes, women representation, objectifying women and needs in local communities, among other issues.

Can an increase in women representation in decision-making help women at the grassroots?

Representation or inclusion is only a first step, although a germane one. Beyond that is the question of systemic nuances and institutionalised systems of oppression that can rubbish inclusion and make representation look like nothing. That has to be critically addressed.

Take the instance of gender stereotypes, objectification, normalised sexual harassment and innuendos, restrictions hinged on religious and cultural expectations, etcetera. These dynamics plague even women at the upper echelons of the society. We are in a space where a woman considered beautiful is also considered seductive and a distraction, while the woman considered not beautiful enough is also considered a liability and regarded as a prude. So, it is “doomed if you do, damned if you don’t”; you can’t win. This is sad! What is even worrisome is the idea itself that a woman’s existence should be reduced to physical and sexual considerations. It is alarming how bad this has become.

On October 30, 2024, Ms. Bianca Ojukwu, a former senior special assistant to the president on Diaspora Matters, one-time Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain and Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Ambassador to Nigeria appeared in the legislative chamber before the 10th Senate of Nigeria for the sole purpose of screening as Minister for Foreign Affairs. After reading out her rich and impressive CV to the senate, the comments made by a male senator was centred on how attractive she was! The male senator had to be stopped. A televised public hearing in a public place and one as revered as the upper legislative chamber of the country! If that could happen openly, imagine how much more and worse behind the scenes; the fact that many men, including public officers, defended the unprofessional and objectifying comments of that senator as “merely a friendly compliment” is also worrisome.

Another rather recent example was the unfortunate incidents we witnessed in the same senate where a female lawmaker, Senator Natasha Apoti-Uduaghan made an allegation of sexual harassment against the senate president Godswill Akpabio in an open forum. The outcome of that episode was the six-month suspension issued against the female senator and a withdrawal of all her privileges as a lawmaker while the senate remained mute on the allegations she made or the need for an investigation. These few examples are evidence that a mere increase in the participation of women in governance, though critically important, does not automatically guarantee respect for women, women’s rights and their autonomy even in those spaces. Yet, it is the most important aspect to address. Otherwise, as the number of women in decision-making increases, so would the number of victims.

 

How would you rate diverse empowerment schemes for women in seemingly cut-off communities?

The effectiveness of those schemes is debatably low, and the reason is not far-fetched. In designing intervention programmes, the state and other actors often neglect the first consideration, which is need assessment and the recruitment of local knowledge. What we often see is a grandiose, albeit well-intentioned scheme adapted from another clime or designed by technical experts and consultants who are often out of touch with the grounding realities of the grassroots communities where the schemes are meant to be implemented. That is why those schemes either fail or are not sustainable. Yet, the state turns around and accuses the people of not appreciating or maintaining the project which was meant to “benefit them”. I think society forgets that people protect what they help create and a sense of co-ownership only stems from co-creation. You can’t engage the top-bottom approach and expect a miracle. It is unrealistic.

 

What do you think is necessary in communities that are not within urban areas?

Oh, so much! You know, every day when I wake up, part of my prayers is that our communities are not forced to lose or jettison what makes us organic and unique. At the grassroots, the sense of community and the sheer beauty of collective good is huge. It is different from the way urban areas have become individualistic, almost as if we are all cohabitators striving to outdo one another. The urban areas now fit into the analogy of the predatory cycle of the food chain where the fastest hyena wakes up hoping to outrun the other hyenas and catch up with the slowest gazelle to have it for food while the gazelle wakes up to outrun other gazelles and be fast enough to not become food for the hyena. It is a maddening cycle. The reverse is often the case in the grassroots where the philosophy of “One for all and all for one” still prevails. It is like “Ubuntu”, that is, “I am because we are” and one tree does not make a forest. I admire that a lot. It gives me a sense of peace and safety at the grassroots in a way that I do not enjoy in the urban areas.

Another necessity visibly present at the grassroots is the quality of food consumed. It is way better in many regards. The foods are made and consumed freshly. The nourishment is therefore incomparable to many of the over-processed and dangerously preserved food consumed in the urban areas. This is one of the reasons I am also a passionate campaigner for environmental justice. Our grassroots communities at the frontlines of extractive activities are being destroyed per minute. Most of our people who were farmers no longer have lands to farm, and the fisher folks no longer have rivers and surface waters to fish from. The soils are polluted, the waters are contaminated and the people are dying. It is a critical moment of reflection for us as a people.

The same is true for recreation. The grassroots have retained recreational activities revolving around nature and mindfulness, which in turn stimulates mental wellness. Children at the grassroots are hardly caught in the web of dangerous techno-addiction plaguing many children and youth in the urban areas. While technology undoubtedly has its benefits, children and human beings in general should take breaks and connect with nature. Many are choked and no longer breathing but they don’t even know it.

A culturally important necessity that I admire very much at the grassroots is the nature of recreation and uplift of our legacies, identity and preservation of our racial integrity through storytelling. Sometimes, it is folklore and other times, they are stories of real people and real events.  In many grassroots, once the sun has gone down and the moon is finding its way to the limelight, children gather around the oldest adults in the communities, and stories are told of our warriors, heroes and heroines. It is brilliantly stimulating! Personally, this is one of the practices that I desperately wish that we could find our way back to as a people, especially as a people whose history has been altered, tampered with and often told by foreigners. It is time to take back the narrative and tell our stories ourselves so that our children’s sense of identity is not eroded.

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