HURIWA blames women groups for not protesting against Isa Pantami for allegedly hating women

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has blamed the women rights group in the country for not protesting against the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami for allegedly hating women over office space.

The rights group said it was shocked and disappointed that a strong allegation of discriminatory conduct against women gender made by a Presidential Adviser on Diaspora Affairs Mrs Abike Dabiri Erewa against the serving minister and for three days all reputable women human rights organizations have yet to condemn this atrocious tendency if proven.

In a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said it has watched with consternation the swirling confrontations between Nigeria’s communication minister and chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, much of which centered around the fight over office space and yet neither President Muhammadu Buhari nor the numerous registered coalitions of gender rights campaigners have deemed it appropriate to take any legitimate mass action to protest this strong case of gender discrimination.

It said section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution which absolutely prohibits discriminatory practices or did any women gender groups call for investigations of the allegations because it is insensitive and irresponsible to allow someone with the faintest hatred of the women gender to exercise any kind of governmental authority that is funded by the Nigerian taxpayers.

“In fact allowing a person without the greatest respect for all genders to remain in office is to encourage lawlessness and anarchy, ” it said.

The rights group stated specifically that section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution provides thus “ (1) A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:- (a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject.

HURIWA recalled that the disgraceful and odious discord between both government officials became public after NiDCOM published a video in February on its twitter and accused Pantami of masterminding the eviction of its staff from office space at the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) building in Abuja just as it will be recalled that NCC is under the control of the ministry Pantami heads.

It also recalled that the confrontation between the duo escalated when Mrs Dabiri-Erewa doubled down on that claim in an interview with the government-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). The interview was aired on Friday and was later published on NTA’s YouTube channel even as the minister said on Twitter on Sunday that he was not responsible for the eviction, claiming that the media reports did not tell “a true story.”

“HURIWA condemned this indiscretion and display of overbearing power as demonstrated by the fact of chasing out the Nigerian Diaspora office from the NCC complex which is also a publicly owned assets just as the Rights group said the property of the office confiscated by the minister of Communication and Digital Economy if true should be released forthwith with profound apologies to Abike DABIRI Erewa and the Nigerian Public, ” it stated.

HURIWA, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the serious allegation of discriminatory conduct against Women’s gender as made by the Chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission against the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and if found guilty he and the minister should be sacked from office.

HURIWA added that if the Federal Ministry of Women Development has not become dysfunctional and comatose this sort of allegations could have attracted their attention but now that ministry is moribund and is just a place for giving jobs to the political supporters of Mr President and nothing more.