UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 60) Section 42 (1) of the Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender by stating that a citizen of Nigeria of a particular sex. Similarly, section 17 (3) (e) of the Constitution provides that there is equal pay for equal work without discrimination on account of sex, or on any other ground. The Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill seeks to ensure equal opportunities and treatment of women and men.
Para 62) The Government of Nigeria is committed to guaranteeing equal access to political, social and economic opportunities for women and men. Consequently, government has established the lead national and state gender machineries; the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and Ministries of Women Affairs in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory. Government has also embarked on numerous programmes to boost women’s economic empowerment. Some of these are: Business Development Fund for Women (BUDFOW) and National Women Empowerment Fund.
Para 63) The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have provided financial empowerment to women through their various initiatives, such as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund as well as the Agricultural Financing Scheme.

UN Compilation:
Para 14) Referring to the relevant recommendations from the previous review, the United Nations country team noted that in March 2016, the eighth Senate had rejected the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and that a revised version of the Bill was currently under consideration. The country team considered the implementation of those recommendations to be ongoing.
Para 39) The Special Rapporteur on minority issues was concerned that, despite the relevant role played by women, particularly minority women, in civil society initiatives, during her visit in 2014, she had encountered hardly any women participating in Government and political leadership. Para 40) CEDAW remained concerned that women were still underrepresented in the National Assembly, in senior leadership positions in the diplomatic service and at the ministerial level. ….
Para 41) The Special Rapporteur on minority issues noted that minorities, particularly minority women, were poorly represented in political life at all levels, especially in state and local governments.
Para 51) [CEDAW] noted the efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and social welfare, including through the adoption of the Social Insurance Trust Fund Act, in 2012, and the Pension Reform Act, in 2014.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 51) … JS16 stated that, despite several efforts, the legislation for gender equality in political participation had not been followed-up by any effort for implementation.

National Report:
Para 64) Section 42 of the Constitution guarantees and protects the rights of women from discrimination. Under section 46 (1) of the Constitution, women who are victims of violence and discrimination may apply to a High Court for redress by way of fundamental rights enforcement proceedings in the event of the application of any law that allows violence and discrimination against them. In addition, government enacted the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act.
Para 65) The Act seeks to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence including physical, sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices, discriminations against persons and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders. Under the ACJA, women can now stand as sureties for any applicant or defendant for the purpose of admitting the person to bail. Hitherto this was not possible.

UN Compilation:
Para 8) Referring to the relevant recommendations from the previous review, the United Nations country team stated that Nigeria had given effect to some of its treaty obligations by adopting … the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015).
Para 12) CEDAW expressed concern that the prohibition of discrimination in section 42 of the Constitution did not comprise a comprehensive definition of discrimination in line with article 1 of the CEDAW.
Para 46) CEDAW was concerned that, under section 26 (2) (a) of the Constitution, Nigerian women married to foreign men could not transmit their nationality to their husbands, unlike Nigerian men married to foreign women. It was also concerned that section 29 (4) (b) on citizenship renunciation legitimized child marriage, as it recognized any woman who was married to be of full age for the purposes of renunciation of citizenship.
Para 47) CEDAW was concerned that while sections 218 and 357 of the Criminal Code protected girls under 13 years of age from forced sexual intercourse, section 6 excluded the applicability of those provisions to girls of the same age in customary law marriages.
Para 48) [CEDAW] was also concerned that no specific measures had been taken to eradicate polygamous relationships.
Para 49) [CEDAW] remained concerned about discriminatory provisions in the Labour Act (1990), the Factories Act (1987) and the Police Regulations (1968), which prohibited the employment of women in night work and the recruitment of married women to the police and required women police officers to make a written request for permission to marry.
Para 73) [CEDAW] was concerned that women owned less than 7.2 per cent of the total land mass in Nigeria and that their land rights in rural areas were not guaranteed.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 76) JS15 stated that Nigeria had failed to address traditional practices that had hampered gender equality. Discrimination started even before the birth of a girl. Education of boys had been prioritised over that of girls and girls were denied the right to inherit property.
Para 79) JS13 referred to relevant supported recommendations from the previous review and stated that although there had been enactment of progressive laws, harmful gender norms, cultural practices and discriminatory laws had persisted. In several communities, women had been barred from owning immovable property or from renting a house.

National Report:
Para 114) The Government has put in place policies and measures to eradicate illiteracy through the provisions of qualitative education for Nigerians at all levels. The measures include: institutionalization of the Early Childhood Care Development and Education programme; completion of 80 Tsangaya schools in order to integrate formal educational programme into the quranic school system and the launching of the National Campaign on Access to Basic Education to reduce the number of out of school children; establishment of 12 new universities to enhance access to a federal university in each state of the federation; construction of special girls' schools in 13 states of the federation to improve Girls' Education Programme; establishment of Special Education Intervention Fund of which, the sum of N36 billion has been disbursed to the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory in 2012; establishment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in 2011 for the provisions of infrastructure and related facilities of which, N76.7 billion has been disbursed to tertiary institutions; refurbishing 352 science and technical laboratories in 104 Federal Unity Colleges. Government has awarded a total of 101 Presidential Special Scholarships for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) for training in top 25 universities in the world in 2012.

Para 115) Government purchased and distributed instructional and library materials on core subjects to all primary 6 students in public schools, supported the Nomadic Education Programme by constructing and equipping of Nomadic Education Model Centres in grazing reserves; training of 28,000 public primary Head Teachers and support for Girls education Projects.

Para 117) Government is implementing a programme known as the Girl's Education Project (GEP) designed to enhance girl's enrolment and retention in school using strategies such as the Students' Tutoring, Mentoring and Counselling (STUMEC), School Based Management Committee (SBMC), School Based Teacher Development (SBTD) and the Pedagogy Module and Core Subjects Modules.

Para 118) Through the Girls' Education Project, Government embarked on advocacy, sensitization and mobilization programmes which have led to significant increase in the enrolment of girls into public primary schools and junior secondary schools in the educationally disadvantaged states in the federation.

Para 120) There are laws in some states of the federation for retention of girls in school and prohibiting the withdrawal of girls from school for marriage.

National Report:
Para 60) Section 42 (1) of the Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender by stating that a citizen of Nigeria of a particular sex. Similarly, section 17 (3) (e) of the Constitution provides that there is equal pay for equal work without discrimination on account of sex, or on any other ground. The Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill seeks to ensure equal opportunities and treatment of women and men.
Para 62) The Government of Nigeria is committed to guaranteeing equal access to political, social and economic opportunities for women and men. Consequently, government has established the lead national and state gender machineries; the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and Ministries of Women Affairs in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory. Government has also embarked on numerous programmes to boost women’s economic empowerment. Some of these are: Business Development Fund for Women (BUDFOW) and National Women Empowerment Fund.
Para 63) The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have provided financial empowerment to women through their various initiatives, such as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund as well as the Agricultural Financing Scheme.

UN Compilation:
Para 14) Referring to the relevant recommendations from the previous review, the United Nations country team noted that in March 2016, the eighth Senate had rejected the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and that a revised version of the Bill was currently under consideration. The country team considered the implementation of those recommendations to be ongoing.
Para 39) The Special Rapporteur on minority issues was concerned that, despite the relevant role played by women, particularly minority women, in civil society initiatives, during her visit in 2014, she had encountered hardly any women participating in Government and political leadership. Para 40) CEDAW remained concerned that women were still underrepresented in the National Assembly, in senior leadership positions in the diplomatic service and at the ministerial level. ….
Para 41) The Special Rapporteur on minority issues noted that minorities, particularly minority women, were poorly represented in political life at all levels, especially in state and local governments.
Para 51) [CEDAW] noted the efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and social welfare, including through the adoption of the Social Insurance Trust Fund Act, in 2012, and the Pension Reform Act, in 2014.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 51) … JS16 stated that, despite several efforts, the legislation for gender equality in political participation had not been followed-up by any effort for implementation.