A former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has stressed the need to categorise preventable maternal mortality as a fundamental human rights violation.
While demanding urgent judicial and activist intervention to halt the crisis, Mimiko stated Nigeria must urgently transition from “policies to tangible action” in protecting and empowering women.
The former governor, who stated this while delivering the keynote address at the 2025 International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA) Week in Akure, the state capital, urged the association and other interested NGOs to hold governments accountable in the law courts.
The former governor, who spoke on the theme ‘Turning Policy to Action: Advancing Women’s Rights through Law and Governance’, hailed the FIDA Ondo State chapter for its leadership and described the topic as both “urgent and transformative”, especially as the event coincides with the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Citing the Centre for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) & Ors v Attorney General in Uganda as an example, Mimiko said, “The global trend in many jurisdictions, even those like Nigeria without explicit provisions, is a jurisprudential shift towards justiciability of Economic, Social, and Cultural (ESC) rights, including health.
“The death of our women while trying to bring forth life in childbirth or the outrageous practice of holding them or their newborn babies as ‘collateral’ for unsettled medical bills must be ended.”
Mimiko noted that while Nigeria has ratified some international covenants, such as CEDAW and the Maputo Protocol of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, they have yet to be domesticated to enable effective legal enforcement in the pursuit of women’s rights.
He expressed regret over the fact that even a law like the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act 2015), which contains reasonable provisions to prevent violence and discrimination against women, has yet to be adopted by seven states in Nigeria due to cultural, religious, and sundry local issues.
While acknowledging some advances like the mainstreaming of gender issues in national discourse, he pointed out that “targeted legislation like the ongoing Reserved Seats for Women bill is very important and must be supported by all who appreciate the true worth of gender equity as a driver of socio-economic development and justice.
“Nigeria has a lot to learn from Rwanda in terms of constitutional, legislative, and electoral process engineering with sustained political will to close the abysmal gender gap in leadership positions.”
On her part, the Chairperson of FIDA in the state, Bolanle Olafunmiloye, said, “For our sake and for the sake of our children, competent women and women of capacity must step forward to fill the gap, offering our country direction, empathy, courage, strong moral values, discipline, and integrity.
“Women must take intentional steps to safeguard our homes, schools, institutions and society at large by confronting the menace of corruption, drug abuse and widespread moral decay.”
Also, Prof. Foluke Dada Lawanson, a long-standing FIDA Nigeria member and former presidential aspirant of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), appealed to women to take up leadership positions in the NBA and globally, highlighting the power of women as builders, excellent managers and committed leaders.
