STATEMENT: ON THE RIGHTS, DIGNITY, AND PROTECTION OF WOMEN IN NIGERIA
In the past week, two deeply troubling incidents have once again exposed the vulnerability of women in Nigeria to institutional retaliation, public humiliation, and the erosion of their basic rights.
First, we stand with Ushie Rita Uguamaye (“Raye”), a Lagos youth corps member whose NYSC discharge certificate has allegedly been withheld in retaliation for her criticism of the government. Freedom of expression is not a privilege, it is a constitutional right.
Women have the right to speak truth to power without fear of career sabotage, state intimidation, or bureaucratic punishment.
Second, we condemn the treatment of Comfort Emmanson, a passenger on Ibom Air who has been placed on an indefinite “No Fly” list by the Airline Operators of Nigeria without due process.
No woman should be subjected to trial by viral video, denied a fair hearing, or stripped of her dignity in the court of public opinion before the facts are independently and transparently established.
In both cases, the common thread is clear: institutions—whether government bodies or corporate entities—must be held to the highest standards of fairness, accountability, and respect for women’s rights.
Retaliation, humiliation, and arbitrary sanctions are not justice; they are abuses of power.
We call on:
- The NYSC
@officialnyscng to release Ms. Uguamaye’s discharge certificate.
- The Airline Operators of Nigeria to rescind the indefinite ban on Ms. Emmanson pending a transparent, independent investigation that respects her right to fair hearing.
@ibomairlines
The Nigerian public to reject double standards that allow powerful institutions to punish women disproportionately while similar acts by men go unchecked.
Women in Nigeria do not need more examples of how the system can be weaponised against them. We need proof that our rights, dignity, and voices matter.
Until then, we will keep speaking. Loudly.