Nigerian Activist Emeka Ugwuonye Reveals Who Inspires His Fight for Women’s Rights

Enugu born human rights lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye of Due Process Advocate (DPA) has finally explained why he always stands up for the rights of women in Nigeria.

In his lengthy Facebook post, Emeka revealed that he lost his father at a tender age and his widowed mother single-handedly raised him and his six siblings. He also disclosed that his mother who never passed through primary education, sent all of them to higher institution.

Here’s what he wrote;

”WHY I FIGHT FOR WOMEN: YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS AND BEAR IT IN MIND ALWAYS:

I was raised by a widow. Ebemma is her nickname. I was the first child. Growing up, Ebemma and I were more like an elder sister and younger brother, though she was my mother, because she was only 18 years older than I.

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As a widow in Igbo land, Ebemma suffered persecution and harassment just because she was a woman and a widow. I saw it first hand.

But despite all that, Ebemma stayed strong. She stayed focused. She stayed smart. She was able to train her 7 children to university level, making her the first parent in my town whose children are all graduates.

Ebemma is also the first parent in my place that has two lawyers, one medical doctor and engineer as her children. She was also the first widow in Enugu State to train her son at Harvard Law School. Yet, she did not go beyond primary school. No other parent achieved this feat in my state, I would assume.

Ebemma never lived in the city until I was already in America. Now, she is an American citizen and she voted for Hilary Clinton. Though she never earned salary in her life, as such, she now earns social security benefits as a senior citizen of America, in the amount of over $1000 per month.

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In case you forgot, Ebemma is a woman. So, can you understand how I feel when you try to tell me that women are not as good as men or that they cannot lead a family? Can you understand how I feel when you beat a woman?:

In fact, each time you beat a woman, I see you as someone beating a daughter of Ebemma. I feel like “killing” you. The fact that I was too young to help Ebemma when she was persecuted causes me to want to double your punishment if I catch you beating or persecuting a woman.

When I was young, I promised Ebemma that if I grew up, I would protect her from all gender-based persecution. But when I finally grew up, nobody dares persecute Ebemma.

They now all call her Mama, even people older than her. Since nobody is persecuting her now, I am searching around town for any man persecuting any woman. I will see Ebemma in such woman and I will come after him. Even if that is the only thing I achieved in this world, I want to make sure that nobody can persecute Ebemma’s daughters.

So, now that you understand me, I think we are settled. Don’t beat your wife or maltreat a woman just because she is a woman. If you do so, you have to prepare to deal with me.

And always know that I will always have the ability to cause you a lot of trouble – whether I am “disbarred” or not. In fact, I will be more deadly if I were to be disbarred, because in that case, I will not come after you with the law. I will come with “guns”.

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By Emeka Ugwuonye, writing as Emeka, not as Founder of anything.

NOTE:

Because of her level of education, Ebemma does not understand that men and women should be equal. Despite her own experience, she still believes that men are superior. That is the irony.

If I were to tell Ebemma that men and women should be equal, Ebemma will quote the Bible to me to suggest that men are superior to women. I would smile and leave her alone. She is Ebemma and for me she is always right, at least until I leave her presence.

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NOTE2:

The question is not whether Ebemma is great or whether she is good. Remember that I don’t need any proof of that. The question is whether the persecution of women or the claim that women are inferior to men is true.

I only used Ebemma as an example of the women. I want us to focus on the women and the injustices meted out against them. The question is whether women could be head of families.

NOTE3:

Ebemma taught me everything. She taught me how to cook. She taught me how to farm. She taught me the most important things I know. She taught me how to show empathy for those who are not so lucky or those in pain.

I can cook any food that a Nigerian can cook (plus the ones that an average Nigerian doesn’t cook). Because I was the first child, I also learned how to babysit infants because I baby-sat my brothers.”

It’s always great to have men and women who fight for the right of women in society. And we say thank you Emeka!

Photo credit: Facebook