-By Asmau Abubakar
Although the UN’s Global Goal 5 advocates for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as a fundamental human right, the truth is that there is no country in the world where girls and women are yet have equal opportunities to boys and men. The case is not different in Nigeria where females are still getting the short end of the stick on most growth and developmental indices. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveals that from 2010 to 2015 only 38 per cent of federal employees in Nigeria were women on average. Meanwhile, the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) states that women make up less than 6 per cent of Nigeria’s parliament. The situation is worse, although true, that Nigeria has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the world.
Despite the statistics, some Nigerian women have shown that they do not need to waste their time talking about equal rights or gender equality. These women have to challenge the status quo, and fight for a world where they are truly equal.
Kafayat Sanni: For what she achieved at just 22 years, Kafayat would take the lead. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), for 55 years, never had a female fighter pilot, until 2019 when Kafayat became the first to mount that podium.
“It was what I wanted to do. And I felt that everyone is not supposed to fold their arms and watch what is happening in our country. Everyone could always play their part. So, I did not think there was any reason for me to think that it is not possible for me to actually fly the jet because there was no female that ever flew the jet. I believe I could achieve it and I did. It is a privilege for me to be winged as the first female fighter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force,” she told ThisDay in 2019.
She is also the first woman to go through regular combat training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) to be winged for a fixed wing fighter aircraft. Kafayat also trained in the US, and was named the overall best pilot at the NAF 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna State, in 2017.
Perhaps, the only lady that came close to Kafayat’s feat was late Flying Officer Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile, who was the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the NAF. Late Tolu, who contributed significantly to combat operations against insecurity in the northern states of Nigeria, died on July 14, 2020 at the Nigerian Air Force Base Kaduna, Kaduna.
Sandra Aguebor: Known as Lady Mechanic, Sandra, who has managed her own garage (Sandex Car Care Garage) for 22 years in her 32-year career, is Nigeria’s first female automotive mechanic.
“Becoming the first lady mechanic in Nigeria is not a bed of roses – men have been doing this for generations. The men thought I was crazy at first. I had to work five times harder than the men to prove myself,” she told CNN in 2020.
Sandra is, no doubt, challenging one of the biggest stereotypes in Nigerian society: that only men can fix cars.
Lois Auta: Lois has defied every barrier she’s faced as a woman living with a disability in Nigeria, despite suffering from polio at age two which permanently put her in a wheelchair. She ran for a seat in Nigeria’s lower legislative house in 2019, and became the first person living with a disability to do so.
“I am an advocate of inclusive legislation. I am glad that the Persons with Disabilities Bill has been recently signed, which means we will have better access to infrastructure, health care, and transportation. If I win the elections, I will sponsor bills that provide an enabling environment for persons with disabilities, especially in the area of education. I will also ensure there is a 10 per cent (reserved quotas) in every organisation for graduates with a disability,” she told the UN in 2019.
Adenike Oyetunde: Adenike’s life changed completely when she lost her right leg to bone cancer at the age of 20. But that did not cut short her dreams, as she chose to challenge the barriers life in Nigeria threw at her. Today, she is a disability advocate, lawyer, media personality, author, social media influencer, and life coach.
She got a law degree, and she went on to grow a successful radio career, and started the Amputee United Initiative, a campaign that advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities. She also volunteers with the Irede Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that works with kids who have had amputations and provides them with prosthetic limbs.
“I am trying to teach people like myself, amputees, to love themselves because society does not accept them even though it is not their fault,” she told PUNCH in 2017.
Through her work, Oyetunde has been able to shed much-needed light on the challenges facing people with disabilities and last month she was appointed as a Special Assistant to the Lagos state governor on Persons Living with Disabilities (PLwB).
In Nigeria, women are still getting the short end of the stick on most growth and developmental indices. But these incredible women have challenged gender stereotypes in male-dominated professions, and have rightfully earned their places of honour.