Open Letter To The President, The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I am a student; I'm 20; I study like every zealous and ambitious 'guy' I know, if not more. I aspire for so much in life just like some guys may; now the Government says I wouldn't have as much opportunity to utilise all what I'm working for because I'm a 'GIRL'.

I'm grieved, I'm sad but above it all, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the people who claim to be our Leaders, who claim to represent 'us'... Or is this "us" just the "Boys" or simply the "Men". The Nigerians who voted include both men and female I hope they all remember that. I wonder what will become of a country that says over half of her population 'Must' stay dormant, a country that accepts that over half of her population be treated with less regard than the remaining populace.
A country that wants civilisation, craves industrialisation and development but deprives over half of her populace of opportunities that drive the development they so crave, leaving it to less than half in the name of tradition.

I stand to remind everyone that some years back, The killing of newborn twins was tradition, burying people alive in honour of a dead king was tradition, slavery was also tradition. If such practices in tradition could be abolished, so can Gender Discrimination.

I have been told that I can't lead by people who can't even dare what I've done, I have contested for positions (one been of recent, in my school) and lost because of Gender Inequality and Discrimination. Many women, especially youths are going through this same thing. Is this what we'll keep facing in this country A country as blessed as Nigeria.

Some months ago, they legalised "Under"aged marriages, now this. The recently rejected bill amongst other things was designed to address women's freedom of movement, female economic activity, girls' access to education, equal rights for women in marriage, divorce, property/land ownership and inheritance, appropriate measures against gender discrimination in political and public life and prohibition of violence to women.. If the Government itself is against setting up measures against gender equality then what are we doing? If our own Government is against prohibition of violence to women, (over 50 percent of the country's population) then what is "Law" and what's the essence of it? If the Government we voted in doesn't want 'All' the populace have equal rights then what's the purpose of the documented 'Rights and Responsibility of the Citizens' that they're always clamouring on.

One of the Millennium Development Goals is To "Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women". The target is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. 2015!!! Oh. Yet in Nigeria our Senate is rejecting the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill...

Where are we really going? Backward or Forward?

Mr President, the students, the youths voted you in cause they believe in you, what future do we have when the Senate is depriving over half of us...

Mr President, Do Something
A Student
A Youth
A Nigerian

Source : Facebook

CC; seun, lalasticlala.