Yerima, other senators reject bill on gender equality

The Nigerian Senate including pro-Sharia senator, Sani Yerima, has rejected a bill seeking to grant women the same marital rights as their husband.

Yerima is the senator who made headlines in 2011 when he married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl

The bill was initiated by Senator Abiodun Olujimi from Ekiti State.

Making his contribution, Yerima a senator from Zamfara state, expressed aversion to the bill, arguing that it was in conflict with the Nigerian constitution. He explained that the bill negates the principles of the Sharia law, which the constitution regards.

Making his contribution to the debate on ‘A Bill Seeking Gender Parity and Prohibition of Violence against Women’, Ali Ndume, who is the Senate leader, urged Nigerians to stick with either religious or traditional marriage.

Ndume who is currently in court over alleged Boko Haram activities, explained that crisis usually occurs when couples who had performed both traditional and religious marriage rites find themselves in the middle of a divorce.

While explaining the content of her bill, Olujimi, who is the deputy minority whip of the senate, said that it seeks equal rights for women in marriage, education and job.

In her bill, she said that a widow would automatically become the custodian of children in the event of the death of her husband, and would also inherit his property. Senate President Bukola Saraki put the bill to a vote, to which the opposing senators shouted a thunderous “nay”, and subsequently had their way.