What I Discovered About Nigerian Women and Public Discourse
By Rabi Ummi Umar,
Recently, I found myself in the heart of Abuja—a bustling city, surrounded by the everyday hustle and bustle of urban life. The streets were alive with activity—commercial drivers calling out for passengers, pedestrians hurrying to their destinations, and the overall pace of the city reflecting the urgency of modern life.
Though an intern, I was there with some female staff writers of Economic Confidential, a tabloid published by the Image Merchants Promotion (IMPR) Limited. This, however, was not for leisure or sightseeing, but for an official assignment – to shoot an episode of ‘Economy on the Streets’ for the Economic Confidential’s YouTube channel. Yet, what caught my attention was something that went beyond the task at hand, revealing a deeper issue about women’s involvement in public discourse.
As a budding communicator, this ‘field trip’ was more than just an opportunity to write news stories, features, or opinion pieces. It was a chance to extend my skills beyond the written word, to engage directly with the public through a street interview—what we call a vox pop—to gauge Nigerians’ thoughts on the contentious issue of the reintroduction of fuel subsidies.
It was also a chance to experience the realities of journalism beyond the confines of a newsroom. To my surprise, I noticed that most of the respondents were men. Women, on the other hand, seemed reluctant to lend their voices or share their opinions on the matter.
At first, I rationalized that perhaps the women were in a hurry, given that it was a weekday. I thought they might not have a few minutes to spare to discuss the pressing economic challenges facing Nigeria, as they had more important tasks awaiting them.
However, as the seconds, minutes, and hours ticked by, and the number of women who declined to participate grew, it became clear to me that they simply did not want to engage in the discussion about our nation’s challenges.
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This realization took me back to an experience I had last year during my Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) with News Digest, an online media platform. I was invited as a guest on WE FM (106.3), a radio station in Abuja, to discuss “Women Participation in Politics”.
During that discussion, I argued passionately that there were insufficient opportunities for women to engage in politics, and I stood firmly by my belief. Yet, a year later, my experience during the street interviews has led me to question this stance. The opportunities, it seems, are indeed out there.
On the streets, even though these women were not holding political office themselves, they had the chance to contribute to public discourse. Yet, they chose not to. This realization troubles me because it raises questions about women’s participation in public life—whether in political offices or the organized private sector.
We frequently hear discussions about gender equality, inclusivity, roles, and the presence of women in positions of power. However, when we look deeper, we might find that men are not the primary reason women, like myself, remain on the periphery of public discourse or power.
As women, we may be contributing to our own marginalization by refusing to seize opportunities, even when they are right in front of us. This brings me to a few questions we should all consider: Are women truly not given opportunities because men seek to dominate?
Are women holding themselves back because society expects them to remain confined to domestic roles? Are we, as women, making efforts to break free from these constraints? Or are we simply holding ourselves back?
While I leave these questions for you to ponder, I want to use this opportunity to call on women to recognize that opportunities do exist for us to showcase our capabilities, our capacity to deliver, and much more. We should strive to reach our goals based on what we have to offer.
But we must start somewhere, even if it’s as simple as participating in a street interview. Your voice is vital to the prosperity of society. No matter how insignificant you may think your contribution is, your participation in various aspects of society, community, and the nation at large matters more than you realize. Your voice truly matters.
Rabi Ummi Umar is a student of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin. She can be reached at: [email protected].
