By Stanley Okehie
Media practitioners have been called upon to play an active role in promoting the domestication and implementation of the Maputo Protocol in Nigeria.
The call was made by a former Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Imo State chapter, Mrs. Ndidi Anike Val-Okeoma, during a one-day workshop organized by a Non-Governmental Organization, Alliances for Africa, for selected journalists in Imo State.
Mrs. Val-Okeoma explained that the Maputo Protocol, adopted by the African Union in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2003 and effective from 2005, is a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It guarantees extensive rights to women and girls, including progressive provisions on economic empowerment, political participation, the right to peace, and protection against violence.
She expressed concern that despite Nigeria’s acceptance of the Protocol on December 16, 2004, the country has yet to domesticate or implement its provisions. She emphasized that domestication was vital for promoting and safeguarding the rights of women in Nigeria.
According to her, the benefits of domesticating the Protocol include the promotion of gender equality, protection of women’s rights, economic and political empowerment of women, and improved access to healthcare.
Mrs. Val-Okeoma identified cultural resistance, legislative delays, lack of awareness, weak political will, and inadequate female representation as key barriers to the domestication and effective implementation of the Protocol in Nigeria. She urged the media to intensify advocacy, raise public awareness, support legislative reforms, and monitor government efforts toward fulfilling the Protocol’s objectives.
Earlier, Pamela Ogaraku of Alliances for Africa underscored the media’s critical role in shaping public policy and legislation. She said the workshop aimed to enhance the capacity of journalists in Imo State to report and advocate effectively on issues related to the Maputo Protocol.
Participants at the workshop, including the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Imo State Council, Comrade Ifeanyi Nwanguma, pledged their commitment to advancing women’s rights and gender equality through support for the domestication of the Protocol.
