Celebrating Women at Home, Questioning Their Rights Abroad

…As Nigeria marks International Women’s Day with praise for women’s resilience and contributions, its diplomatic posture at the United Nations raises troubling questions about whether those commitments are being upheld on the global stage.

Today, the world marks International Women’s Day. In Nigeria, as in many parts of the world, the day will be filled with celebratory messages, colourful social media graphics and official statements praising the strength, resilience and achievements of women.

But beyond the celebration lies a more uncomfortable question: are governments truly advancing women’s rights, or merely celebrating them rhetorically?

Globally, progress towards gender equality remains painfully slow. According to UN Women, no country has yet achieved full legal equality for women and girls. Some projections suggest that, at the current pace, it could take nearly three centuries to close the global gender gap.

Nigeria reflects many of these challenges. The country ranked 124th out of 148 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index, highlighting persistent disparities in political representation, economic participation and health outcomes. Women remain significantly underrepresented in political leadership. Maternal health indicators remain troubling, gender-based violence continues to affect thousands of families, and economic opportunities for women still lag behind those available to men.

Yet Nigeria’s domestic policy landscape tells a somewhat different story.

Over the years, successive governments have adopted frameworks aimed at improving the wellbeing of women and girls. These include national gender policies, reproductive health strategies, family-planning frameworks and adolescent health initiatives. Collectively, these policies recognise that sexual and reproductive health, bodily autonomy and gender equality are central to national development and public health.

These commitments are important. But policy promises at home must be matched by consistency abroad.

Each year, governments gather at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the world’s leading intergovernmental forum dedicated to advancing gender equality. Negotiations there shape global policy guidance, influence development financing and often inform reforms at national level.

What governments support — or block — during these negotiations therefore matters greatly.

This year’s session focuses on strengthening access to justice for women and girls, including addressing discriminatory laws and structural barriers that prevent women from enjoying their full rights. The agenda aligns closely with the global call for “Rights. Justice. Action.” for women and girls everywhere.

Nigeria should be a constructive voice in these negotiations.

Instead, reports from the discussions suggest that Nigeria’s mission to the United Nations has once again taken an obstructive stance. Nigerian diplomats have reportedly joined — and in some instances led — a group of countries attempting to weaken or block consensus language related to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

This is not the first time such tensions have emerged. Nigerian negotiators have repeatedly challenged similar language in multilateral negotiations.

What makes the situation particularly troubling is that much of the language now being contested is not new. These are references Nigeria has previously accepted in earlier global agreements. In other words, Nigeria now appears to be challenging commitments it has already endorsed.

The Contradiction Is Stark

At home, Nigeria’s policies acknowledge sexual and reproductive health as essential to development, public health and gender equality. Yet at the United Nations, Nigerian diplomats appear determined to dilute or erase those very commitments.

This contradiction should concern every Nigerian.

It raises several urgent questions.

With these national policies already in place, why is Nigeria’s mission to the United Nations acting in ways that appear inconsistent with the country’s own frameworks?

Why is Nigeria aligning with groups of countries seeking to block progress on issues affecting the health and rights of women and girls?

Why do Nigeria’s foreign policy positions appear disconnected from its domestic commitments?

Did the mission consult the technical ministries responsible for these issues, including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare?

Did they consult the president’s advisers on health and women’s health — technical experts whose work directly relates to sexual and reproductive health and who have championed initiatives to improve maternal health and advance women’s wellbeing?

Or are these positions being advanced without coordination, without accountability and without a clear mandate that reflects Nigeria’s own national policies?

In today’s complex geopolitical environment, credibility matters. Consistency matters even more.

Nigeria cannot champion gender equality at home while undermining it abroad. It cannot promote progressive policies domestically while its representatives work to weaken those same principles on the global stage.

With a new Permanent Representative to the United Nations soon assuming office, this moment presents an opportunity for reflection and course correction. Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement should align with the country’s own laws, policies and development priorities.

Because the stakes are not theoretical.

They are measured in the lives, health and futures of Nigerian women and girls.

And those futures should not be delayed by diplomatic contradictions.

If Nigeria truly believes in the dignity, safety and empowerment of its women, its voice on the global stage must reflect that commitment.

Only then will the celebration of women move beyond symbolism and translate into meaningful progress.

About the Author

Fadekemi Akinfaderin is a global health and gender policy expert working on international development and global diplomacy. She writes on gender equality, health systems and global governance under the platform Make It Make Sense with Kemi.

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Health Report (AHR). The information presented has not been independently verified by AHR.