As the wave of calls for the restructuring of the nation’s sectoral policies keeps growing, a former Attorney General and Justice Commissioner in Oyo State, Mr Oluseun Abimbola (SAN), has called for amendment of the constitution to correct some laws which negate the rights of women, particularly in the Northern parts of Nigeria.
The legal luminary made the observation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital during the celebration of International Women’s Day and International Day of Women Judges, held at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Iyaganku, in a lecture entitled: “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow #Breakthebias”. It was organised by FIDA, Oyo State branch, led by Mrs. Olusola Sulaymanm and coordinated by Mrs. Folasade Aladeniyi.
Abimbola lamented the inequality being practised in the Sharia Penal Code in the over 13 northern states where women could be stoned to death or flogged for being found guilty offornication and adultery
He said: “While the same treatment is not recommended for the consenting male in the romp. The rule of evidence under the Sharia law is also discriminatory against women: the evidence of a woman is said to be half of that of a man in Islamic jurisprudence, or must mandatorily be corroborated as if the woman has lesser intelligence or believability than a man.
“Another example is the Police Act which provides that a female police officer desirous of marrying must first apply in writing to the Commissioner requesting permission to marry and giving the name, address and occupation of the person she intends to marry, or that an unmarried police officer who becomes pregnant shall be discharged from the force, and shall not be re-enlisted except with the approval of the Inspector General. Yet these hurdles are not placed before men in similar circumstances,” he said, noting that the system deserved amendment.
