Bukola Afeni
The Mothers And Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre) is seriously concerned by the impact of the ongoing rising cost of general goods and services on the rightsholders/female-headed households across at all levels.
The Executive Director MAMA Centre, Chioma Kanu in a statement noted that prior to the rising inflation, Nigerian women have been disproportionately affected by poverty, and socio-economic hardship,
She said they face discrimination and exploitation across spheres including politics, paid employment, inheritance as well as the informal private sector, where the recurring illegal and multiple taxes/levies cripple financial capacity and earning progression of women.
“Women including the rightsholders have been marginalised in all spheres of the economy including various inequalities that featured in under-paid or poorly paid employment rewards and other benefits.
“As a result, rightsholders constitute the vulnerable and socio-economic deprived group whose families live below poverty line, estimated at $1.90 per person per day in 2019 World Bank Report.
“While an estimated 82.1% of women in Nigeria actively participate in the informal sector, such as agriculture and small businesses, their earning and financial capacity are hampered by multiple/illegal taxes—unlawful compulsory payments collected by the government without appropriate legal backing through intimidation and harassment of the women”, she said.
According to her it is worrisome that despite huge budgetary allocation to various empowerment interventions at national and sub-nationa,l policy levels have failed to address the socio-economic plight of women, for lack of proper consultation, needs assessment and accountability at community levels.
“We further observed that the going general rise in cost of living in Nigeria has exposed women without adequate policy measures, has to a large extent amplified socio-economic and financial burdens on the women population in all spheres—especially the female-headed households, which are already rendered incapacitated to provide for themselves and their dependant families.”
MAMA Centre further reteirates its position that gender equality is an imperative for progress on socio-economic emancipation and development in societies across the world.
While calling for adequate policy attention to address the huge differences in the types of inequality faced by Nigerian women—from cultural representation, political inclusion, socio-economic capacity, education attainment to domestic burdens and child marriage.
