About Me
- Funmi Iyanda
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Funmi Iyanda is a multi award-winning producer and broadcast journalist. She is the CEO of Ignite Media and Executive Director of Creation Television
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Enough of this rubbish
I have those moments when I wonder what sins our ancestors may have committed that warrants the curse from the gods that some of our leaders surely are. Take the example of madam Ekaette, the senate chairman in charge of Women Affairs, Social Welfare and Youth Development. What offence did we as Nigerian women commit to be assaulted with this character? I have been inundated with calls by Nigerians to say or do something about his crazy impending bill on indecent dressing and I can freely admit to you that apart from the Herculean battle that sustenance is in Nigeria, I am exhausted by the many battles I am forced to fight and this particular one is immensely vexatious and energy sapping.
Fortunately I am not alone, many sane Nigerians including Professor Soyinka have spoken out strongly against the bill all to deaf ears. Last week, I got Iheoma Obibi. of Alliances for Africa and Mma Odi of Rural Women Empowerment Network to join myself, PR specialist and pastor Sola Salako and Business eye publisher Ibim Semenitari on New Dawn to discuss this very annoying issue. If during the interview you notice that I keep saying perhaps madam senator means well, it is only to ensure that NTA does not refuse to air it, also what you have here is the uncut version, which the network would never have aired.
I know Jeremy has raised this issue on his blog and slowly opposition is gathering but I feel it is time to spit in the eye of these pseudo moralist bigots who the nation spends a fortune to keep in the luxury they have become accustomed to. Isn't this the woman who is wife to Ufot Ekaette and therefore perhaps unaccustomed to the toil and pain of the average Nigerian woman most of whom are the unspoken breadwinners of their families? These are the ones whose daughters are abused daily in the efforts to supplement family income. Where do these kinds of people get off from and why have the rational senators, male and female not shouted her down? Nobody should tell me to take it easy; given the myriad problems of development in Nigeria especially for women should any sane woman with "God given opportunities" add to our burden? If I had my way, I would march a million women stack naked to the national assembly to demand a removal of immunity for public offenders, the death sentence for corruption and election rigging and long jail terms for nepotism and favouritism which are the true moral cancer of our society, I therefore call on all rational Nigerians wherever we are in the country or outside to speak up and out as well as write to condemn this bill before they unleash a reign of police brutality and terror on the much be leagued Nigerian female and her family.
Fortunately I am not alone, many sane Nigerians including Professor Soyinka have spoken out strongly against the bill all to deaf ears. Last week, I got Iheoma Obibi. of Alliances for Africa and Mma Odi of Rural Women Empowerment Network to join myself, PR specialist and pastor Sola Salako and Business eye publisher Ibim Semenitari on New Dawn to discuss this very annoying issue. If during the interview you notice that I keep saying perhaps madam senator means well, it is only to ensure that NTA does not refuse to air it, also what you have here is the uncut version, which the network would never have aired.
I know Jeremy has raised this issue on his blog and slowly opposition is gathering but I feel it is time to spit in the eye of these pseudo moralist bigots who the nation spends a fortune to keep in the luxury they have become accustomed to. Isn't this the woman who is wife to Ufot Ekaette and therefore perhaps unaccustomed to the toil and pain of the average Nigerian woman most of whom are the unspoken breadwinners of their families? These are the ones whose daughters are abused daily in the efforts to supplement family income. Where do these kinds of people get off from and why have the rational senators, male and female not shouted her down? Nobody should tell me to take it easy; given the myriad problems of development in Nigeria especially for women should any sane woman with "God given opportunities" add to our burden? If I had my way, I would march a million women stack naked to the national assembly to demand a removal of immunity for public offenders, the death sentence for corruption and election rigging and long jail terms for nepotism and favouritism which are the true moral cancer of our society, I therefore call on all rational Nigerians wherever we are in the country or outside to speak up and out as well as write to condemn this bill before they unleash a reign of police brutality and terror on the much be leagued Nigerian female and her family.
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Law against indecent dressing?
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57 comments:
Thank you funmi for this, I knew that eventually you would blog it. I keep going from anger to desperation to exasperation etc. The bill is gaining grounds and we are watching on.I'd readily join you in the naked march.
@doja, it may die eventually but not before the Nigerian police would have harrassed enough women.
I am filled with so much fury, I could kill someone.
Doja,
You had better be concerned. It may die a natural death, but like you’ve casually mentioned not until HUNDREDS- (thousands even)of our women have been assaulted, abused and raped under the guise of enforcing this vexatious piece of nonsense, being touted as legislation. Don’t these people read and see what women are doing for women in other parts of the world??
You should be concerned o! This is a crazy country where they will deem it fit to then empower (with billions of naira I might add) 'dress policemen’ to arrest women, and if you're a woman like I think you are, you may fall victim to this 'unfortunate abuse', as the custodians of this law do not respect you in the first place; and should you decide to wear shorts down your street on a nice Sunday evening, you will end up a guest of these mad men... Ekaette will be in her home in the comfort of her bed, while millions of Nigerian girls and women would be raped, abused and denied their basic right to live, to choose and to express themselves in every possible way. In a country where women are not respected already, you decide to give the law enforcement people ammunition to further disparage and denigrate women of our time?????!!!! We will not stand for it.
It’s so sad that you're not bothered. Actually, it makes me very very angry, because it’s with attitudes like that that we've lost our power and voice as a people.
Funmi, I’m with you my hero... we need to take collective action, and we need to do so NOW. We need to rally voices and campaigns that have already begun and shout this mad woman down before she imposes her will on our women. Free legal services whenever you decide to take action. We should actually also take the woman to court to kill this bill and get her imprisoned for her disregard for the plethora of issues plaguing the women of this country. It may be pushing things but- hey! I’m so angry at the madness!!!
ET
When are we going to have people who actually possess the ability to exercise critical thinking?
I am so fed up with people who say they are motivated by religion and they embark on some journey that does more harm than anything else at all...
Dear Aunty Funmi,
God bless you for this.
Why would madam senator want to be remembered for taking away from the people Who she is meant to represent rather that add to them.WHY!!!!!!!!!!
As Nigerian women we need empowerment,hospitals,schools and a level playing field in the work place not a bill on indecent dressing Madam senator.
Please let us keep this fight on for it is a worth cause.
Keep up the good work aunty Funmi.
MG
It is all well and good to be frustrated (and in a way I understand that because frustration creeps in when one feels powerless) but I think that we now more than ever seriously have to think about practical ways to regain our voice in our country. I am open to views on this. If we can step aside from our anger for a minute and start critically thinking about what we can do I think that will be productive for this issue and others. At this moment, I don't even know what the practical ways are but what I know is that this is the more promising direction of thought. So I am open to suggestions.
Is this what the comittee was set up for? There are women who spent their good years keeping a home and raising kids of the marriage, only to be tossed out of the home with no one to support them. There are women left to raise children by themselves with no support from the father. There are women who get raped everyday. There are young girls forced to marry perverts that are over two times their age. Who is fighting for these women? Is indecent dressing going to stop all the ills of the society? PLEASE. Maybe she is more concerned about her husbands roving eyes. Allah if this bill passes, i will personally seek out her husband for an affair just to stick it to her.(just kidding O)
i know u have a platter full, but fight u must continue to fight.
am still vexing and crazed, i hope to calm down and help put heads together to devise a battle plan be it legal or otherwise.
this might be a chance to empower and embolden our females to stand up for themselves.
what did u mean by nta won't air it? we still have censorship?
please start doing ur homework on having ur own network.
As most people are, I'm extremely bothered by this bill. I shudder to think of what life would be like if it were actually passed. God forbid. And as He is doing so, He has equipped us with what we need to display our total disgust and dissatisfaction with it.
Ms. Funmi, are there any existing petitions that I can add my name to? Any websites that we can go to show our support of "anti-Madam Ekaette bill" efforts? If none exists and I wanted to start a petition, where would I sent it to after getting as many signatures as I can? Thanks in advance and keep up the good work! You're not alone in the fight!
Let me be honest and admit that I had heard of this bill but for some reason it just didn't register, until I read your post and the actual bill. The first thing I did was to get a measuring tape and measured 2 inches from my shoulder.... WHAT? then I got out my skirts and you know how we all know which skirt length suits us best, mine is just above my knee so guilty there as well.
I think a lot of women that are not concerned about this should try that little experiment.
I am totally with anon 2.14pm we need to rally voices and campaign, anyone up for it in the UK?
I enjoyed watching the little clip of the show... for real though Ms Mma (correct me if I’m wrong abt her name) hit the nail on the head... let there be a general definition and an agreement on what is not decent instead of this lady pulling stuff out her you know what.
Only in Naija can u beat up a pregnant lady and get away with it, this to me is a way bigger issues than whether my tits and ass are protruding through my garments.
Until Naija can overcome all this madness, we really need to take away the name “democracy” as our type of rule bcus every time I turn around its like someone is dictating something new into our society
I am someone who loves to express themselves freely and I appreciate when others do the same. If the senator does not want to take all Naija ladies on a shopping spree to get us outfits she deems decent, then she needs to take a chill pill and focus on some real issues.
U’re right when u say she might mean well, but the only well I can think of is that she might be trying to prevent husbands from committing adultery. By obviously covering the younger ladies up, they might not stray…but, can someone please inform her that men are not interested in the garments we use to cover…I’m just saying ( I’m keeping it PG for u’re page Funmi)
it is high time people like this are shut down and out.of all the problems women and children are facing in nigeria,this ekaete of a woman have decided to start a law that will let women be abuse more.does she have any fluid or substance in her brain.this woman should check her own life first and write the wrong there.am so sure she is morally flawed.am so livid i can't be bothered to write anymore.funmi continue to do what you are doing,GOD bless you
SERIOUSLY DOES ANYONE KNOW POWERFUL FEMALE SENATORS? Where is Senator Ita Giwa? Can someone please call her? She seems reasonable. The march should not be totally nude but perhaps in underwear, with signs talking about addressing female poverty and abuse BEFORE moral policing. You have the means and connections to organise such a march so please do.
ALL female magazine should take a break from STUPID mindless articles about the favourite perfumes of so called Nigerian celebs until this issue is sorted out. I AM GOING CRAZY WITH ANGER. Does anyone know the senator's kids? Are they of age? Maybe they can talk sense into their mother...WHAT RUBBISH!
Dear Aunty Funmi,
How are you doing?And howz d shrimp? Please take a look at the video in this
link
http://www.viewnaija.com/videos.php?cate=&sub_section=videos&id=1454 The
people concerned are from the same state as Madam'indecent dressing'.Whatever
happened to the child rights' bill?
It's very sad! I feel so sorry for the kids. People have been brain washed and it's so tragic in this day and age.
From my observation while in naija i'd say that religion and culture are somewhat intertwined in situations like this. So many false preachers and wrong cultural beliefs have misled multitudes and this is the result.
Correct me if i'm wrong, here in the States, we barely hear about witchcraft, it sort of becomes popular during the Month of October - Halloween and rituals associated with it but in Naija it's so widely talked about daily and many are so terrified.
In naija it's common to hear that some sort of witchcraft is the cause of a person hallucinating, falling down, being diabetic, being down with malaria, etc. Is this true for all situations - certainly not! Fact is, many can't afford to go to the doctor so they go to witchdoctors/ herbalist, etc and are given some kind of concoction/juju but the conditions still persists anyway. On the flip side, in developed countries, like the States, UK, Germany etc, where witchcraft is barely spoken about, many head for the doctors office as soon as illnesses are felt, doctors, diagnose the problem and prescribe medications, end of story.
Educating people with the truth is key to tearing down walls of deception.
all I can say is we need feminism - plaine and simple.
Yes Abimars, Im up for it in the Uk and I suppose several other people will be, even if its to gather at the nigerian embassy and get BBc to cover it, anything at all we can do to register our protest,im up for it. Lets all put minds together and scream with one loud voice;Enough is enough. Can you organise things?
As I said, we need to think critically about practical ways to regain our voice. From reading the other responses, it seems to me that a march is the best idea - it is visible, it cannot be ignored and will make an impact. I am based in the UK but I am happy to pop down if we organise a march. We do need to do something. We cannot do nothing - that would make us powerless victims of the system and I don't want to feel like that. I refuse to be a victim. So who is up for a march?
Does anybody know how I can contact Mma Odi to find out more about the march she is organising so I can come to Nigeria and join in?
Good idea about the Nigerian embassy option - I'm up for it! I don't mind joining that and also going to Nigeria to join Mma's march. So who's organising - I'm in!!
Abimars, I am up for it in the UK. Can we discuss on your blog.
dt bill is arrant nonsense... r they kidding me? Worst of all is the main perpetrators of this "so called crime" will never be punished...
Is it not if u have money to buy indecent clothes that you will buy indecent clothes... what is even the definition of indecent clothes.. mehn.. dis is some total bs. Forreal
Aunty Funmi, I'm VERY MUCH with you on the stark naked bit. Lets do it! Stewpid rascals calling themselves politicians! These same stewpid old potbellied men are doing the "indecently dressed females"
Ugly ariztos!
now they want to pass a bill, they shud pass the bill now? hisssssssssssssss, rubbish
mehn, i thot it was all a joke oh... Please how did they come up with such? they don't have any other bills 2 pass again abi?
God will help Nigeria.
Mehn, i'm so angry, I think I might just cry!
WHAT D $%^& IS THIS MADNESS????????
With people dying of hunger, sickness, false prophets ripping more poor people off everyday, kids who can't go 2 school b/c of $, and dis is all the so called government can do???
Really, Aunty Funmi... Do organize a rally, Please... Now I miss Fela NO JOKES! arrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Funmi I've said this before .What do you expect from a person called "EKAETE" elete kete ni jare. She just want to be noticded. I wish I was in 9ja. I for follow go that million women march. PLEASE WE MUST NOT TAKE THIS LYING DOWN!! I'm pretty sure her kids wear such clothes. Anyway if its against her religion, she has no right to impose on people.
Aunty Funmi(hate calling u that, as it ages you, in my opinion u're eternally young) - Head swelling, hee hee.
I will have my lawyer look into the codes to see if we can legally stop this bill from passing. Will update you on that. I also want to start an on-line petition to gather thousands of signatures from Nigerians that are against this Draconian bill.
Keep fighting O. Our rights are about to be trampled on, and we should not just shrug and let this pass. We as women in Nigeria need to get our priorities right and move away from acquiring LV bags to fighting for the future of our children.
As a married woman with two children, that still enjoys wearing short shorts and 6 inch heels, i am really concerned about this bill. As it will definetly be abused. I love to express myself with my clothes, and my husband does not mind, so if my 5.11 frame and DDD size breasts offends anyone, please pluck out your eyes so that you will not sin O. I will not wear a rice sack to appease anyone.
Doja, this is the thing: it doesn't matter if she brings up another stupid idea after this one - it is our job to keep reacting until she and people like her get the message that you can't do stupid things without getting a reaction. That is part of the problem - we have to learn that it is our job to keep our leaders in check. Yes, if we had better leaders we wouldn't have to work that hard but as it happens we do. In other countries with the relatively 'better leaders', interested citizens still have to keep their leaders in check when they get things wrong. This issue should make us younger Nigerian citizens reclaim our position/responsibility and do our job!
So I ask again: who's up for a march in London???
These lawmakers are at it again...
My feelings about dress code are mine alone. I am very very conservative and while i cringe at some of the outfits on show these day, i dont understand why legislation has to be brought in to things...
well every nasty bill affects de ladies mainlybecause in a country wer everone is claiming religion but forget de major thing tell despite de whole billing stillde say there is moral decadence sometimes iwondser if iuts only dee ]females or both.
let me tell it may die a natural; death but hav it has destroyed half of de ladies population
we are de females we bear de bruntof child birth, submissiuon and above all during sex we are more prone to sexual diseases tell me de house of rep and senate members dat are passing dee billk de know de whores and de decent just livcely gals if u cant stand her site why not look outbut if shes under ur juridistion correct her or order lik wat de are doing now in de universities. wat of se muyslem kidfs and l;adies datcoverhead to toe and are still raped wat dodse men seeand infants wat do dsey hav
next de police arr5est u and ask for monewy and if notforce u under duty u know its ur word against deirs and so we always pay
talk of de ladies in highj places every party dey attend and with deir guards so depoor are stoppewd on de road but who stops and checks an official car without fear and even cant look in just de driver attends to u .well its our fight and we alone can fight it letm,etell u women hav de greatest weapon on earth which is de heart of the mnales if we all employ dat and leave force which is for the males we might win dis fight and make it die bvy force.
cleoterria
These people have shit for brains honestly.
It's the same old story: "men rape women because women dress indecently.Therefore, rape is a woman's fault." I am still in a state of shock that a public officer, in modern Nigeria, is trying to officially entrench such a deadly and barbaric myth.
Moses, Joshua reporting for duty anytime you want me. Skimpily clad or otherwise, there'll be many men marching alongside, protesting a bill that's the off-shoot of an unintelligent thought process.
But tell me, can't this movement against Aunty/Mummy-Senator's idiotic bill be given a name? Some phrase/a slogan people can rally to? It would make it quickly identifible and help the wavering, focus.
Moses, Joshua reporting for duty anytime you want me. Skimpily clad or otherwise, there'll be many men marching alongside, protesting a bill that's the off-shoot of an unintelligent thought process.
But tell me, can't this movement against Aunty/Mummy-Senator's idiotic bill be given a name? Some phrase/a slogan people can rally to? It would make it quickly identifible and help the wavering, focus.
where are the men? We have now so fallen down in dignity and manhood that any show of a woman's flesh we cannot handle our libido? Where are the men who have enough self respect and crave a worth adversary who will stand and fight both within the national assembly as well as lead responses to this piece of castration. It is not the women truly that this is about it is the destruction of any dignity left of the Nigerian male as a truly capable, rational and discerning being. If he cannot allow his female counterpart to be anything other than a sex object. This is not a fight just for women but a fight for all our humanity. Sisi m I am sorry i have not posted on this but the usual lethargy that comes with colds and flus have reduced my energy. I will be set up a page on my website to draw some men into this fight.
I thought the new speaker was supposed to be progressive , where is he in all of this? Your baba jeje? It is time for a new kind of manhood not this people who replace responsibility with indulgence and dignity with addiction.
if we collect signatures where do we send it to
THEY ARE ALL MAD!!!!MAD MAD MAD!!!ESPECIALLY MADAM FUCKING SENATOR!!!WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I AM SO ANGRY I CANNOT EVEN GATHER MY THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW!!!!ALL I CAN SAY IS FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!FUCK THEM ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BLOODY MOTHER FUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Scandalous! This makes no sense at all. I can see the authorities having a field day with this. Although the bill mentions men, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that regular women's clothing is in greater danger than mens.
Reading things like this makes me more sad than angry, because this is a prime example why many Nigerians abroad (like myself) find it hard to justify to themselves why they should give up (relative) peace of mind and return to a country where stupidity is the order of the day.
Bring on the naked march, really.
In support of the march,petition and whatever else is needed to put a stop to this waste of taxpayers money.These lawmakers are bigots.
Watched the witchcraft kids video & I am so upset.
Since our president is so big on the "RULE OF LAW"can the lawyers in the house advice on how concerned citizens can show their opposition to this.
whenever I am too intellectually lazy to vent, I can be assured that you will present my sentiments exactly...Thanx
Hi Funmi,As a guy, I must say I feel for you guys, especially all that the society keeps throwing at the women. Its amazing the way some people still reason in this time & age. I feel that the senator in question is acting based on her level of knowledge & exposure. Passing such a bill only shows the degree of seriousness of our law makers. I wonder what the human rights has to say to this. I feel that one should be able to express his or herself as long as you are comfortable with it. Our dear senator is simply living in the stone ages. Maybe she is just looking for attention. If she is smart, she should have looked at other pressing needs of women and address such accordingly.
I am one of those who feels passionately about this issue of indecent dressing and i personally feel that madam Ekaette is insulting our collective intelligences as women. How dare she think that Nigerian women are all about clothes.
She wants the bill on indecent dressing passed so that what? she can come to our homes to dictate to us what to wear. I am so angry.
hat's the problem when you have square pegs in round holes. Outside being the wife of Ekaette what are has she really done for her community that is not personal to her.
Can she in all honesty go to her constituency and point at Women Friendly initiatives of hers.
I know for sure that God created us as human & as that we possess higher cos it is God-given so why would anyone want us to think that we are lower than other animals created by God.
If anyone bothers to study the courtship pattern of other animals one would observe that before mating/coitus these animals dancing, displaying strength, show off their beauty etc to woo the female ones amongst them and even in doing that the female animal eventually decide who she wants to mate with and the losers go & seek a willing partner. I have never seen any and i mean ANY lower animal forcing himself on any of the females.
If lower animals know not to force themselves on the unwilling females where did Ekaette et that rape thing becos of being indecently exposed? I mean a male friend of mine said that a man that wants to rape a woman would go ahead and do it whether she is properly dressed or not and if the cause of rape is indecent dressing what about the case of a 42-yr old man and a 2 yr old? Could she please explain that to me/other Nigerian women madam ITK.
Please if she does not have any intelligent bill to sponsor to improve lives of rural women in particular at least she should just join some other Senitors that all they do is say I and Nay to other peoples bills.
Afterall must she talk abi has she not heard of "if you don't have any thing intellligent to say just dake(shout up).
our leaders should go and tackle the real problems of the nation and stop talking about this indecent dresing.
Hello All, I don't know if someone else is organising this but I am seriously thinking about the London march to the Nigerian Embassy so if anyone is interested e-mail me at nkiruahiauzu@yahoo.com. I should introduce myself (sorry!) - I am a Lecturer in Law at the Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK. This is my departmental webpage: http://www.aber.ac.uk/law/staff/ahiauzu.shtml. If we can get this together it will be useful because like I said, we have to train our leaders to know that they can't do stupid things without getting a reaction.
If you e-mail me, I will set up a mailing list and we can discuss the date and other modalities of the march.
With wishes, Nkiruka Ahiauzu
And can you imagine the 14-year-old cut-off point? You can expose you breast and thighs as long as you are under 14 years. Ludicrous! It's clear that this woman does not have a clue. In her small mind, she thinks that females under 14 are somehow asexual beings, immune to sexual assault in a country where girl-child abuse is the order of the day. Clearly, her neanderthal sensibilities prevents her from seeing how all the assumptions on which she bases her Bill of Shame is flawed.
Please, where can we petition? It would be great if a website was put up for this purpose alone.
How haven't Nigerians learned that legislation cannot enforce morality?
On the other hand, I feel sorry for those that love to express themselves through dressing. How is anyone going to say what is immoral or not? It's REALTIVE for crying out loud!!! Honestly, this hogwash bill is depressing. I just want to cry at the thought of female abuse that is going to be aroused in that nation. I mean it's bad enough that a girl cannot wear ripped denim or a tube topand not be called an ashewo.
From arresting, it'll turn to molesting then detention and lastly rape. That's just what we're gonna be seeing onward...
Please, who is the idiotic moron that suggested this bill and who's the colossal idiotic moron x2 that is passing it?
i know madam senator n she i just that kinda of aunt who will see u and shout" ah why is ur dress so short or why is ur chest showing".. I guess its silly to want to force her personal dress ethics on all nigerian women in the face of so many pressing issues..naija..anyway like someone said she is not in tune with the common womans plight...just like the average lawmaker or leader, so its not her fault
Senator Eme Ekaette is a dissapointment to say the least. Thats what you get when People rig elections to get into positions of power. Would she have gotten to that position if her Husband had not been no 3 Man in the Govt? In Senator Ekaette's Constituency, I'm sure they are Widows with kids who can barely feed because their in-laws have taken away every thing their dead husbands left for them. I believe they are lots of Mentally retarded Women with babies on the streets in Onna LGA. I'm also sure they are lots of Young girls who have been forced into early marriages and in some cases are living with VVF because of poverty but no, She won't take care of those problems. She'd rather seek cheap popularity with this bill. These are the kind of Women who make people feel that Women should really not be heard. I thank God for lawmakers like Abike Dabiri, Daisy Danjuma and others who i believe will cover our shame by proposing better bills. As for this one from Madam Eme Ufot Ekaette, I bind and Cast it into the Atlantic Ocean in Jesus name. It will never see the light of day in Jesus name Amen. She can pass the bill into Law in her Village and home for all i care.
Thanks Funmi for giving me an avenue to vent my fury.....
For the love of me, i'm with you on the protest. Let's all organise a protest, if we're strongly against this crap and want our voices heard and take it to Fleet street in Ldn. We could sign a petition and wear our bras and patas in protests.
its so sad when our country says something and does the other..we boast to be the giant of africa or whatever yet we pass such stupid laws as these..where is the sense in that?
*Sigh* This is what happens when you leave ignoramuses in positions of power.
A two part question:
-What would a law concerning girls <14 do wen most girls rapes are, well, BELOW the age of 14?
- What are we saying of the men that rape women, should this law be enforced? Are we essentially giving them a 'Get out of Jail Free' card by patting their heads and saying, "It wasn't your fault, its the silly girl who danced around naked in front of you."
A larger question: What are we saying to people who have been wronged? Have we gotten to a stage where we, so lost for words at our situation as Nigerians, have begun to blame ourselves for our plight? As a people abused by our government, by accepting putting forth this bill, what is this woman saying of we Nigerians?
Mme Senator with this bill has showed herself so divorced from the plight of the people she misses the point of who we are. She has shown her true colors in blaming victims as opposed to going after those who wronged the person. Her priorities are we those who oppressed and not those who are oppressed.
And for this reason, I am with you, Aunty Funmi, when you act.
Can those of us in the UK contact this lady? That will be a good start.
nkiruahiauzu@yahoo.com
Nkiru, I hope you don't mind but I will be publisizing your email in as many blogs as I can.
Destiny.
As someone who was molested from the age of 5 to 11 by men who are more pigs than men (i am not generalising. just refering to the men that raped me for years and those who continue to molest womwn and children) it makes me sad that a woman at the helm of afairs in nigeria will suggest this rubbish. How the hell did i seduce these men to rape me at the age of 5? By what i wore? Madam "Stupid" Ekaette please answer me or thunder will burst your f#@$ing head. THis woman is an insecure woman and needs help. Don't push your frustrations on us. i am a christian but hold exceptions to anyone who will force their religious beliefs on me, christianity or not. Go elighten yourself Mrs Ekaette and liberate yourself from your ignorance.
Can you get Tru love, Genevieve, and some of the seedier celebrity rag mags on this? I fear this bill will get passed into law with the majority of Nigerian women busy looking for where to get cheap Mac/Mary Kay powder
i dare say that it is absurd to think that any right thinking person can come up with such a ridiculous bill, shall we ask: on whose yardstick will indecent exposure be measured? let us remind them what is going on in the real nigeria if they too far up to see, a lot of children are being abused everyday, what arte they doing about that? students are being victimised everyday in schools, what happens to that? some people still believe that basic education is a luxury not a right, what do they have to say to that? many nigerians are living below the un poverty line, and yet, all someone can think of up there is something as mundane as dressing? what good can possibly be achieved by such law except for it to lead to arbitrariness and chaos? this law is nothing but an ill wind that blows nobody no good! believe me funmi, i am with you all the way in protesting this absurdity, it can only give room for more harrasment to ladies as we are at the recieving end, as if we don't have enough of that already!
B4 I talk anout the bill..some1 sed it isn't her fault she's passing this law. Please!!! if she refuses to be intun ewith the pple then it means she is not a good leader in the first place and should adeptl be removed. Now about this bill. I school in the north and I always give a big thumbs upto the religious muslims that always wrap up...I can't do it. while I don't wear short shorts(yet..it's getting that hot), I want to know how this lady expects me to survive this heat. Maybe I should just die of heatstroke instead. Obviously the word indecent has to be defined for each occasion. It is indecent(even a bit silly) to wear short shorts to a religious or formal function but those shorts are acceptable elsewhere. This just does not work for me...even if she decides to take me shopping I'd probably refuse bcuz of her dress sense. Sha what can we students do...it affects us to...
WOW. I don't even know what to say! just WOW.
Why are people making so much noise about indecent dressing it should not be allowed plain and simple . i live in london consult with decision makers albeit on a small scale but they worry a lot about what the future holds and believe you me wish they could turn back the hands of time.We seek to emulate the western world but the basic infrastrusture is not there . Where in the world do you see members of the royal families with body parts exposed i dont .
@all, so sorry l am just getting back to you, all l can say is l am but one person swimming very hard against a the merciless tide. l am trying to coordinate all the action,as you may note l have posted a list of people doing something about it and l will give a further update by friday. It will shock you to know how many people are in favour of this bill without even really understanding or studying it, also the majority of Nigeria's media is neanderthal with regards to women's issues. i am a bit surprised at the the female glossies and l will talk to some of the editors. In the meantime we are watching to see if it goes to the next stage, if it does, please let us all be prepared to do what ever is necessary to stop it. Right now, l'd appreciate all suggestions and efforts to plan ahead as to the next steps if they go on.
congratulations Funmi, for being such a credit to Nigeria. I do pray we get more broadcasters and those in the media in general who speak out intelligently about so much of the malaise in Nigeria. A proposed law on indecent dressing? I mean who are these people and what are they thinking?