Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, has advised women in the country not to argue or fight back when having arguments with their husbands at home.
The Minister, who gave the advise during a Conference of Commissioners of State Ministries of Women Affairs in Nigeria yesterday in Abuja, said avoiding trading of words would prevent physical assault that may lead to injury or death.
The conference was organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Phase-2 Programme, funded by the European Union (EU), through the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, (International IDEA).
The Minister said, “I am equally begging my women not to look for trouble; not even at home. Maintain peace in your home; because, if a home is peaceful, the woman has 80 percent to contribute to that. If you need peace, you can equally achieve it.
“Keep your mouth shut. Talking back does not yield any fruit; rather, it leads to death and destruction; it leads to bringing up bad children for the society. Keep your mouth shut; it does not make you a fool, but a wise person. When the man is shouting and saying all sorts of things, act like a fool and keep your mouth shut.
“After a while, watch him. If he is a good man, he will come back to apologise. If he is not a good one, ignore him. Have what you want to do in your mind; but when we show who we are and we fight back, most times, it leads to hitting and you could be injured. Prevention is better than cure”.
The Minister, who called for the signing of a law that would provide a mobile court to try gender and sexual based offences, said she and the commissioners would lead a protest to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation to sign the law.
She added that the Minister would also launch an integrity group to monitor all funds donated to uplift women in the country, adding that this was necessary as the country’s current situation did not suggest donor funds for women empowerment were used for the right course.
