Friday, March 26, 2010

Women Take Over Lagos Judiciary! Male Folks are Endangered Specie. - Favour Irabor

Prior to 1999, male judges dominated Lagos State Judiciary just like other states in the federation. Female judges took the back seat and nobody felt there was any imbalance in the system. But today, there is much hullabaloo as it is perceived that women are taking over. The justification for this position is the publication in the DAILY SUN of Wednesday March 24, 2010 on pages 44 and 45 captioned Women take over Lagos Judiciary! Male folks are endangered specie.

Lagos State should be commended for adopting affirmative action at achieving gender equality and gender parity and redressing the imbalance that has characterized the composition and appointment into the judiciary for decades. Lagos State also appointed a non-indigene in the person of Ms Nwaka who hails from Delta State as a judge. Thus Lagos State can proudly be described as anti-discrimination compliant State. Female judges in Lagos State are known to be bold. Examples abound like Justice Dolapo Akinsanya that declared the Interim National Government illegal in 1993. The latest judgment that is salutary is the decision of Justice Oke which awarded N100M damages in favour of Ms Okere for the violence inflicted upon her by some naval personnel.

It is indeed sad and disconcerting that the SUN which should be in the vanguard to champion gender equality and gender parity is surreptitiously advocating for the extinction of this policy via its publication of 24th March 2010. The situation in Lagos State is justified by Article 4 of CEDAW which deals with temporary special measures and reinforced by the critical areas of concern under the Beijing Platform of Action.








Our Rights As Women by Bilkis Olagoke

Human rights are women's rights. Yes! right to life, right to education, right to marry without discrimination, right to equal pay for equal work, right to social security, right to take part in cultural life, right to inheritance,.......... The question now is: Do we really know our rights as women? Are we not allowing religion and culture to impose themselves on our rights? In what way do women themselves deny their rights? Is there a way out? The question could go on and on. But the fact still remain the same, we women also have rights and our rights must be promoted and respected at all levels.

Friday, March 5, 2010

PARENTS BEWARE by Oluyomi Oyeleke

I believe parents have been saddled with the responsibility of taking care of their children, though the harsh economic conditions of the country may prompt them to do otherwise or give an excuse to shift their responsibilities to so-called guardians who may be relatives, close acquaintances, friends or even strangers. The truth remains that it is rare to find someone who would care for your child the way you do.
Practices such as abuse, neglect, malnutrition and all forms of in-human treatment are experienced by these children who are left at the mercies of these wards.

More difficult to understand is the abuse(s) that takes place right under the noses of the parents. These classes of parents have their children under their roofs, yet they are either too busy or for whatever reason, fail to monitor closely or spend sufficient time talking with/to their children and learn about the activities that go on in their absence. A close example is repeated reported cases of rape. Perpetrators of this heinous crime are “loosely” allowed to have a degree of control over the child, thereby giving the person in question an upper hand though it shouldn’t be an excuse for any form of violation or abuse.

Parents should not only provide food, clothing and shelter for their children but also to provide their child with necessary information to know what is wrong and what is right.

Though we can’t change the past, we can try to change the future. Let’s stop the abuse.