Nigerian woman advises women to demand equal share in their family’s properties.
A Nigerian woman, Faith Essien, has called on women to demand an equal share in their family’s properties.
Women are still being left out of their parent’s inheritance in many parts of Nigeria despite a Supreme Court ruling that it is discr!minatory to exclude female children from sharing in the parents’ estate.
The apex court in 2014, abolished the ancient culture in Igboland that denies women the right of inheriting property in their father’s house.
A 5-man panel of Justices held that the practice conflicted with ”section 42(1)(a) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution.”
According to the court, “Any culture that disallows a daughter from inheriting from her father’s estate or wife from inheriting from her husband’s property by reason of God’s instituted gender differences should be punitively dealt with.”.
The Supreme Court maintained that “The punishment should serve as a deterrent measure and ought to be meted out against the perpetrators of the culture and custom.”
In a Facebook post on Friday, December 27, 2024, Ms Essien stated that a woman owns an equal part of her family’s property with her brothers.
“If your father owns even a plot of land or a small house and as a Woman, you don’t own a part of it, you should forget about Feminism.
Everything your father owns is your right as a woman. If your father’s house is one room, your brother shouldn’t live there, the house should be rented out and rent shared equally amongst all the children of the family. Or if your brother wants to stay there, he should pay you rent.” She wrote.
She also said, women should negotiate peacefully at first but if they prove stubborn, they should hire a lawyer and go to court.
She concluded by saying, ”Dear woman, my advice to you is, as you travel for Christmas, tell your father and kinsmen that you want a share in your family properties.”
This practice has been there for the longest in our traditional system. What do you think about this practice? Do you agree with Faith Essien?
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