Day: June 9, 2023

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Over the years it has been practised in many of Nigeria communities, especially the South-East, South-South and South-West.

Critics of the practice say that it is embedded in ignorance and misrepresentation of culture.

Ms Karima Bungudu, Gender/FGM Analyst, UN Population Fund (UNFPA), says the practice constitutes human rights violation.

She described it as the height of gender inequality occasioned by conspicuous discrimination against the female gender.

The UNFPA FGM Analyst wondered why women could be singled out for such harmful practice thereby stifling their potential to live life to the fullest.

“FGM is an infringement on the girl’s right to health, hence its health complications can retard the girl’s vision and dreams for greater future.

“It is a violation of the girl’s or woman’s human rights to choices and self-preservation,” she said at training for media professionals on FGM.

Bungudu said it was unfortunate that `the cruel practice by social, cultural and gender inequitable norms and belief`, had been normalised.

She said the risk and complications increase with the type of FGM and may likely be more severe and prevalent with infibulations.

Experts say infibulation involves the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal.

According to them the seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching.

Bungudu said: “Type 1: Also known as clitoridectomy, consists of partial or total removal of the external part of the clitoris and/or its prepuce (clitoral hood).

“Type 2: Also known as excision, the external part of clitoris and labia minora are partially or totally removed, with or without excision of the labia majora.

“Type 3: It is also known as infibulation or pharaonic type. The procedure consists of narrowing the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting the labia minora and/or labia majora, with or without removal of the external part of clitoris.

“The appositioning of the wound edges consists of stitching or holding the cut areas together for a certain period of time (for example, girls’ legs are bound together), to create the covering seal.

“A small opening is left for urine and menstrual blood to escape.

“Type 4: This type consists of all other procedures to the genitalia of women for non-medical purposes, such as pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterisation,” she said.

Gender advocates say the practice has remained because those who carry them out had not been penalised by the authorities and call for the implementation of relevant laws to end the practice.

UNFPA report says that about 14.8 million girls and women are at the risk of being cut in future with 19.9 million girls in Nigeria having gone through the practice already.

It is estimated that some 200 million girls and women globally have undergone some form of female genital mutilation.

UNFPA estimates that globally, 68 million girls are at risk of being mutilated between 2015 and 2030.

Dr Aliyu Yakubu, Ag. Head, UNFPA Cross Rivers told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that FGM had destroyed not just the lives of women and girls but newborn.

Yakubu said FGM poses a lot health hazards for women and girls both during birth and after.

He said that it could lead to fatalities during birth as result of the tightness of the birth canal which could have been stitched during FGM.

“During birth, the scar tissue might tear, or the opening needs to be cut to allow the baby to come out”, he said.

Mrs Aduke Obelawo, an Anti-FGM Advocate, told NAN that the practice is a crime against humanity especially the women and the girls.

“After childbirth, women from some ethnic communities are often sown up again to make them “tight” for their husband.

“Such cutting and stitching of a woman’s genitalia results in painful scar tissue”, she told NAN.

Dr Juliet Ofo of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jabi said that FGM could result in death through severe bleeding and neurogenic shock as a result of pain and trauma.

Ofo said the harmful practice has the propensity of triggering overwhelming infection and septicaemia.

Ms Ayo Bello, Head, Global Media Campaign to End FGM, told NAN there was the need for synergy among media professionals to amplify the advocacy to end FGM.

Bello tasked the media to educate the public about the need to end FGM by exposing its hazards and consequences.

Bello expressed hope in the power of the media to end FGM by holding government accountable.

She called for social activism using the media as a platform to change the narrative of normalisation of FGM.

Mr Franklin Ihemefor of the African Episcopal Methodist Zion Church (AEMZC) affirmed the position of some clerics that FGM had no link to Christian religion.

Ihemefor told NAN that it instead reinforces obnoxious cultural practices targeted at women and girls.

Dr Zubaida Abubakar, Gender/GBV Specialist, UNFPA, also told NAN that the pain inflicted by FGM often continue as ongoing torture throughout a woman’s life.

Abubakar said with the cutting women experience various long-term effects, such as physical, sexual and psychological.

She called for coordinated and systematic efforts to end female genital mutilation, engaging whole communities and focussing on human rights and gender equality.

Abubakar who said the procedure is most often carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15, added that it is a violation of girls’ and women’s fundamental human rights.

As the society battles FGM overcoming the challenges depends largely on smooth partnership among stakeholders, including religious groups such as development partners, health workers, civil society and the media.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has pleaded with the Federal Government to deploy security agencies to Zamfara to prevent the ‘heartbreaking’ killings in some parts of the state.

Atleast seven people were reported killed on Tuesday, after unknown gunmen went from house to house killing people in the Chafe Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Bello Gotomo, National Secretary, MACBAN, in a statement on Friday, allege that the attacks were carried out by an outlawed group tagged “Yan Sa Kai Group”.

He called on the government of the state to ban the activities of the group and ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly killings were brought to book.

“So much innocent blood had been shed in the state that a firm and convincing solution must be found to this unwholesome bloodletting.

“The causes of the crisis are well known and the solutions to it are also very clear, it is therefore up to the state government to take the bull by the horn and restore lasting peace for all communities in the state.

“The association also call on the federal government to intervene by deploying more security to arrest not only the perpetrators but also their financiers.

“The new administration is being tested in the resurgence of this sectarian violence and it is up to it to be firm from day one in dealing with this unwanted calamity,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room on Thursday called for additional reforms and legal framework for the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

Ene Obi, Convener of the coalition said this at the Situation Room’s Post Election meeting on the final report of the 2023 General Elections with support from United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Abuja on Thursday.

Obi said that the call was became necessary because of the coalition’s observation and analysis of the 2023 General Elections.

“Contrary to expectations, the 2023 general election was marred by very poor organisation, severe logistical and operational failure, lack of essential electoral transparency, substantial disruption of voting, and several incidents of violence.

“In addition, there was very poor communication from INEC on challenges with its processes on election day.

“In the light of these shortcomings, the Situation Room believes that additional reforms and improvements are required to ensure that the quality of future election in Nigeria does not further decline.

“It will also help to ensure that public confidence in the capacity of INEC to conduct elections is restored, while trust in the credibility of elections is re-established,” she said.

Obi added: “Since voter information no longer resides in the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), in future election, INEC should consider abolishing the use of PVCs and introduce the use of alternative means of identification.

“Identifications such as National Identity Card, International Passport, or Drivers’ License can be used to further reduce the cost of election in Nigeria.”

She said the Situation Room made some recommendations to improve the election management and the electoral process.

She stressed for the need for the Constitution to be amended to eliminate the position of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) under the control and direction of the Commission through the appointments of State Directors of Elections to replace RECs.

She said that the suggestion by the Justice Uwais Committee for the unbundling of INEC should be considered and implemented without delay.

Obi added that an effective legal framework should be formulated for the establishment of Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal, Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission, and an agency to handle constituency delimitation.

She said that independent candidacy and voting by Nigerians in Diaspora should be considered in conformity with international principles for democratic elections.

“As a practice, INEC should institute a process of post-election audit to enable the Commission understand and account for lapses during elections, and to undertake measures to prevent future occurrence of the lapses.

“An audit to provide to the public information on why the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) Portal malfunctioned, despite assurances of its robustness.”

Obi called on the National Assembly to be more vigorous in undertaking its oversight role over INEC and the electoral process and be more forthright and dispassionate in performing its role of confirming appointees to positions in INEC.

She called on INEC to make thorough planning a key priority and ensure the full implementation of and strict adherence to its Strategic Plan, Election Project Plan and Election Management System.

Obi said machinery should be put in place for Election Day workers such as ad hoc staff, INEC staff, security officials and observers to vote.

She suggested that the task of compiling and managing the national register of voters should be entrusted with the National Population Commission which should be given the responsibility of extracting the national voters’ register from its population database .

Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said that in few week’s time the commission would begin a review of the 2023 elections.

Okoye commended the CSOs for their contribution to the electoral process and urged them to remain non partisan in their work because democracy can grow and flourish without their support.

He however, expressed worry that most CSOs dwelt on the fact that the result portal did not function well instead of praising other aspects that the commission got right.

He said that it was a fact that there were a lot of positives that arose from the conduct of the 2023 general elections, saying the commission would harvest and consolidate on all those positives and move ahead toward the next general elections.

“There were also challenges that came with it ,so based on those challenges, the Commission will receive reports from both domestic and international election observers and then if there are changes that we have to carry out administratively ,the commission will carry out all those changes.

” If there are also changes that require both legal and constitutional review or reforms , the Commission will also pursue some of these are legal and constitutional reforms,” he said.

” I want to say that democracy is a work in progress, democracy is not a finished product ,so we have to keep on working in order to make sure that we get our electoral process and democracy to the positions we want it to be,” he said.

Okoye called on the CSOs to acquaint themselves with the Electoral Act and take the lead in terms of advocacy, and also in terms of enlightenment to curb misinformation and disinformation on the conduct of election.

Dr Mathew Ayibakuro,Governance Adviser ,FCDO,British High Commissioner, commended the CSOs for strengthening democracy in Nigeria and Africa.

“We look forward to continuing this partnership with other broad stakeholders significantly to ensure that we are able to address some of the challenges for the 2023 elections.”(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria