General
SOURCE: PREMIUM TIMES
A gender-focused media group – St. Ives Communications, founder of Women Radio, has said the endemic corrupt practices in Nigeria negatively affect women and girls.
The group listed some of the major areas where Nigerian women are more impacted by the consequences of corruption to include employment scandals, health care corruption, justice system, among others.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the media group’s communication officer, Mayowa Olulowo, the group said it is committed to relevant initiatives that are aimed at lessening the burden.
According to Ms Olulowo, the media group, in partnership with Voice of Women, has launched a radio programme, which she said is airing in six different radio stations that are scattered across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
She added that the new initiative will focus on how corruption affects marginalised women and girls, and raise conversations towards addressing them.
Findings
Meanwhile, the project, which already kicked off in March in Imo, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Lagos and Borno States, has uncovered the major thematic areas where attention must be prioritised.
Revealing the specific areas, Ms Olulowo’s statement reads in part; “In Nigeria, petty corruption, death of unborn babies, sexual extortion, paying for bribes in exchange for public service like job opportunities and healthcare are some of the heavy burdens women experience daily.
“Corruption in Nigeria has worsened despite the government’s effort to fight fraud and bribery. In 2021, Nigeria was the 26th most corrupt country out of 180 countries. Millions of Naira allocated for rural development are stolen and misused by corrupt officials under the guise of executing public services.”
The statement said these corrupt practices have been found to have made more women poor, noting that “they find it difficult to survive in a system characterised by bribery and political largesse.”
The programme
The statement added that the programme discusses everyday corruption women face and suggests practical ways to ending the challenge.
Ms Olulowo said the programme, which is also supported by the MacArthur Foundation and broadcast in Hausa, Yoruba, Pidgin and English languages, is currently being aired on some radio stations in six states of the federation including Kwara, Imo, Akwa-Ibom, Borno, Lagos and Sokoto.
“The radio programme commenced on Monday, March 21, 2022, and will continue on these stations every first Monday of every month,” Ms Olulowo said.
Corruption and women
According to APO Group, a public relations agency, corruption impacts women and men in different ways but that the results of corruption often make women more vulnerable, leaving them excluded from decision-making roles and limiting their chances for educational and economic advancement.
The group in a recent publication noted that women can be at greater risk of exposure to certain forms of corruption than men, especially through their use of public services.
“When corruption erodes the efficiency of public services or reduces a state’s tax income base resulting in cuts to public services such as healthcare, education or social services, this is likely to impact more on women and children than men,” the group said.
Corruption in Nigeria
Corruption has been identified as the major challenge in Nigeria, and hardly a day passes without one corruption case or another taking the front burner in national discussions in the country.
On Wednesday, barely 24 hours after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) released a report on the corruption situation around constituency projects by politicians, the nation’s Supreme Court upheld a sentence of six years’ jail term with N22.9 billion fine for an official, John Yakubu, who reportedly stole N25 billion in police pension fund.