Frustrated by one of the world’s highest rates of sexual assault, poor law enforcement and tribal taboos that keep people quiet about gender violence, some Nigerian women are breaking with tradition to take self-defense classes.
A local rights group and boxing coach have joined to offer free training that is tearing the lid off the largely unspoken problem of everyday violence against women in a country already well known for atrocities against girls by jihadist fighters.
New student Adeola Olamide says she was filled with fear and shame when first assaulted. When the attacks continued, the petite 35-year-old mother-of-three decided to learn techniques needed to fight off a bigger, stronger opponent.
“For us, the idea of a woman learning to defend herself is revolutionary,” said Olamide, who described having been choked and beaten several times in assaults.
“As a woman in Nigeria, you’re not supposed to have a voice. Every tribe has this in common.”
She spoke minutes before stepping into her first class run by rights group Women Impacting Nigeria and coach Rehia Giwa-Osagie, head of local gym Elitebox.
Their hands wrapped and stuffed into boxing gloves, the students soon filled the gym with hissing sounds as they practiced jabs and uppercuts against heavy bags.
Boxing and karate instructors taught Olamide and about 20 other students basic blocking, striking and escape techniques in the two-hour class, which is offered monthly to any women willing to step out of their cultural comfort zone.
Nigerian media are awash with horrifying stories of women and girls kidnapped and trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation. And the abduction of 276 schoolgirls in 2014 by Boko Haram jihadists sparked global outcry.
But everyday assaults have stayed under the radar.
“RECLAIMING OUR DIGNITY”
Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher for Human Rights Watch, said law enforcement was inadequate. “When this is coupled with the negative perceptions that reinforce injustices against women, it culminates in a pretty hostile environment.”
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Coach Rehia said the classes were in a nascent stage but should help combat an “enormous” problem in Nigeria. Official national data on violence against women was not available, but an official at the Women’s Affairs Ministry said the government was making a strong effort to combat the issue.
After her first session, Olamide’s confidence grew.
“There’s something about doing this with other women, reclaiming our dignity outside of a traditional therapeutic process,” said the mother-of-three, still sweating. “It’s different from sitting in a circle and telling our stories.”
Nigeria is the ninth most dangerous country in the world for women, according to a 2018 report from the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The most dangerous was India.
“I had never heard of a women’s self-defense workshop in Nigeria. It’s just not done. But the #Me Too movement we’ve seen around the world has prompted people to ask how we can prevent violence,” said Tope Imasekha, head of the rights group.
#Me Too was ignited by revelations in 2017 of assaults against women in Hollywood and became a global movement.
“Traditionally, we believe that we should be defended by men: our fathers, husbands and brothers. But with more women working and walking around independently, we need to defend ourselves,” said Olamide’s classmate Motunrayo Naiwo, 39.
Naiwo said she had been groped on the streets of Lagos, and seen other women accosted while men stand by watching.
“Now, with this training, even I might be able to help another woman if she’s in trouble,” she said.
Reuters
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
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Nigerian artist,Emmanuel Fisayo has turned his passion for drawing into full-fledged career. As a child Fisayo replicated drawings from texts books. Now his pencil drawings are tractiving art lovers in galleries.
Nigeria shuts Chinese supermarket due to coronavirus
A supermarket operated by Chinese nationals has been shut down in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission closed Panda Supermarket because of its alleged discriminatory practices against non-Asians and as a cautionary step following the outbreak of coronavirus in China.
FCCPC said it confirmed the allegations against supermarket located in Jabi area of Abuja.
Apart from confirming the allegations, FCCPC said “seafood and animals imported illegally from China” were discovered.
“Products with expired and irregular shelf life were also discovered,” FCCPC said on Wednesday.
“Regulatory activities to remove all offensive products from the Supermarket continues.”
FCCPC discovered some products on sale with expiry dates set for 2019, 2073 and 2089.
The Guardian
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission closed Panda Supermarket because of its alleged discriminatory practices against non-Asians and as a cautionary step following the outbreak of coronavirus in China.
FCCPC said it confirmed the allegations against supermarket located in Jabi area of Abuja.
Apart from confirming the allegations, FCCPC said “seafood and animals imported illegally from China” were discovered.
“Products with expired and irregular shelf life were also discovered,” FCCPC said on Wednesday.
“Regulatory activities to remove all offensive products from the Supermarket continues.”
FCCPC discovered some products on sale with expiry dates set for 2019, 2073 and 2089.
The Guardian
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Video - Nigerian Central bank raises cash reserve ratio amid inflation fears
The fear of a further spike in inflation has compelled the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria to adopt a tightening stance, by raising the cash reserve ratio for banks in the country from 22.5 per cent to a new level of 27.5 per cent. Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiel, says the move will mop up excess liquidity in the Nigerian economy and check rising inflation which has been on an upward trajectory since August last year. Here is CGTN's Deji Badmus with more on that story.
Lagos to ban motorbike taxis
Nigeria’s biggest city has partially banned the use of motorcycle taxis following an escalating number of fatal accidents, dealing a blow to Softbank Group Corp.-backed OPay and a potential boost to Uber Technologies Inc.
The Lagos State Government cracked down on the popular way to dodge traffic congestion in the commercial capital of Africa’s most populous country, calling the bikes and their three-wheel equivalents a “menace” that are responsible for “scary figures” regarding loss of lives. Drivers ignore traffic laws and allow criminals to use the ride-hailing services as getaway vehicles, Gbenga Omotoso, commissioner for information and strategy, said in an emailed statement.
Between 2016 and 2019, “the total number of deaths from reported cases is over 600,” Omotoso said. “The only motorcycles allowed are the ones used for the delivery of mail services,” he added by phone.
The ruling is a setback for OPay, which is based in Oslo and has shareholders including Softbank and China’s Meituan Dianping. The mobile-payments company started its ORide service in Lagos in June, before raising $120 million later in the year to expand its various online services in countries such as Ghana, South Africa and Kenya. Meanwhile Uber -- which has operated in Nigeria for more than five years -- may lose a fierce rival.
A spokesman for OPay declined to comment. Max.ng, a rival motorbike-taxi operator backed by investors including Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. of Japan, said the company would contact the state government about how the ban will work.
“The concern for us is how this will be implemented, because we don’t want people getting hurt,” Co-Founder Chinedu Azodoh said by phone. “We are engaging with the government.”
Lagos has one of the highest car densities in the world, with about 200 per kilometer, leading to notorious traffic problems. Its vast and underutilized waterways are seen as a viable alternative to relieve pressure on the roads, and Uber started to experiment with boats last year.
Bloomberg
The Lagos State Government cracked down on the popular way to dodge traffic congestion in the commercial capital of Africa’s most populous country, calling the bikes and their three-wheel equivalents a “menace” that are responsible for “scary figures” regarding loss of lives. Drivers ignore traffic laws and allow criminals to use the ride-hailing services as getaway vehicles, Gbenga Omotoso, commissioner for information and strategy, said in an emailed statement.
Between 2016 and 2019, “the total number of deaths from reported cases is over 600,” Omotoso said. “The only motorcycles allowed are the ones used for the delivery of mail services,” he added by phone.
The ruling is a setback for OPay, which is based in Oslo and has shareholders including Softbank and China’s Meituan Dianping. The mobile-payments company started its ORide service in Lagos in June, before raising $120 million later in the year to expand its various online services in countries such as Ghana, South Africa and Kenya. Meanwhile Uber -- which has operated in Nigeria for more than five years -- may lose a fierce rival.
A spokesman for OPay declined to comment. Max.ng, a rival motorbike-taxi operator backed by investors including Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. of Japan, said the company would contact the state government about how the ban will work.
“The concern for us is how this will be implemented, because we don’t want people getting hurt,” Co-Founder Chinedu Azodoh said by phone. “We are engaging with the government.”
Lagos has one of the highest car densities in the world, with about 200 per kilometer, leading to notorious traffic problems. Its vast and underutilized waterways are seen as a viable alternative to relieve pressure on the roads, and Uber started to experiment with boats last year.
Bloomberg
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