THE EKITI EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES LAW The equal opportunities law has just been enacted by the Ekiti State House of Assembly. Among other things, the law provides for gender balancing and equality in both matrimonial and patrimonial inheritance between male and female. While this law is commendable in the sense that it seeks to obliterate the discrimination against women on issues of inheritance, Iam of the view that on the other hand, the law appears to be superfluous on the general issues of gender equality, having regard to the entrenched Constitutional provisions on those issues. Sec.42 of the Constitution is explicit enough on this. Another snag that I see on the new law is the problem that may be associated with its enforcement and practical application in Ekiti, in view of the fact that Ekiti forms part of Yoruba land, where most people are still steep in some of the customs and traditions that put women at great disadvantage in areas of inheritance. I say this because any law that seeks to displace a peoples custom and tradition is always hard to enforce. Such instances that readily come to mind on this are those of the old Eastern Regions marriage law which sought to fix low bride prices as against the exorbitant ones usually dictated by customary laws, as well as the law that prohibits discrimination against the Osu caste. These laws have since been existing largely on paper, whlie the peoples custom still hold sway. Yes, customs are dynamic, I agree. But they are also fundamental and potent in the life of an average African, such that their potency can hardly be ebbed by any legislation. I doubt if the Ekiti law makers had sufficiently adverted their legislative minds to this hard fact, in the course of their deliberations on this law. However, everything considered, I think the legislative effort really deserves some commendation, but lets see how it goes. Good luck.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 10:09:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015