Women's Missionary Soceity

Empowering Women in Nigeria
by Arlene Onuoha and Heather Jones

Arlene Onuoha was first appointed to serve the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN) in 1978. As one of the longest serving missionaries of the PCC in recent years, Arlene's perspective on the WMS is an interesting one. In her opening comments to the WMS Council, she shared the observation that in the WMS and even the PCC, she has heard many people speak words of fear and discouragement, but she has also seen much evidence of active, exciting ministry happening, some in new and different ways. She offered delegates a hopeful image from Isaiah 42 which tells us that the servant of the Lord will not blow out a flickering flame.

In order to help delegates understand the PCN's Women's Empowerment Programs, Arlenes described a little bit of Nigeria's cultural history. She premised her remarks by stating that Nigeria is a country of about 150 million people made up of numerous tribes, languages, and very diverse cultures. She spoke from the perspective of someone who lived and worked in the south-east region of the country, mostly amongst the Igbo's and a few other ethnic groups.

In pre-Colonial times, the roles of men and women were more complementary than descriminatory. Women had their own rights and authorities, and age was respected, regardlss of gender. In many ways the concept of the inferiority of women was brough to Nigeria by colonial settlers.

The structure of the family in Nigeria is very different from Canadian families. Apart from the obvious difference of Nigeria accepting polygamy, responsibilities and loyalties are very different. Legally, a Nigerian man may have many wives, but in some villages his responsibilities and loyalties remain more to his mother's people, his 'kindred'. The children within marriage belong to their mother and her own kindred. In this traditional social structure, the man is then more responsible for his sister's children than his own. Although in practice, especially within the church, most ment do take care of their own families, some fathers use this cultural tradition to justify having very little to do with their biological children.

Unfortunately in the evolution of these family structures, situations often arise that cause suffering, particularly to women and children. In some villages, when a man dies, his kindred often blame his widow for the death. In this situation, widows and children can be locked out of the dead husband's property that was inherited from the kindred, and the widows and orphans would return to the women's own kindred. The tradition has been perverted to the extent that now they often take back everything, leaving widows and orphans destitute. While Arlene was in Nigeria, she was involved in the church's attempts to be more sensitive to and supportive of widows. The Church represents God, and so must be an advocate for them.

Some Nigerian history reveals awareness of the influence that women have had in some situations. In 1929, there was an event that is known as "The Igbo Women's War." It started in the town of Oloko when a Warrant Chief tried to assess a widow's property for tax purposes. The woman protested because in traditional Igbo culture women did not pay tax. Soon almost 10,000 women from the surrounding villages joined the protest against his Warrant Chief. The major tactic of their protest was something they called "sitting on the Warrant Chief." They would sing and dance around his house and office, following him everywhere he went, forcing him to pay attention, until finally the Warrant Chief resigned and the issue of taxation of women was left as it had been.

More recently, in the early 1990s, the women of Abiriba organized to bring peace to their community. Clashes had arisen between the young men of two of their villages. A time for some big ceremonies was approaching, and then tension was increasing to the point that there were rumours that blood would be shed. The women gathered and after posting someone to guard all the entrances to the village they sent emissaries to the nearby cities calling their husbands and children to return "home" the following day. Then elderly village women headed on foot to the State capital, about 50 kilometers away, in order to get the backing of the State Governor. The next day, in Abiriba the women gave the men an ultimatum -to settle the problem within two weeks or all the women in the village would go on strike during Devember when all the big celebrations were to take place. Being on strike would mean that no woman would cook, clean, or be intimate with their husbands during that time. The problem was quickly settled.

In many ways Nigerian women suffer because of double standards and discrimination within their culture and society. Women are usually blamed for problems such as barrenness, marriage breakups, sickness, and death. They are expected to have children, at least one being a male. They are expected to be faithful to their husbands, even though men can have multiple partners. The weight of bearing and caring for their children often falls totally on the women. Within many of the village cultures widowhood practices and treatement of widows and their children are still very oppressive.

Women in Nigeria have had to struggle to gain equal fotting with men as both men and women work to interpret the current society that is greatly affected by western culture. Arlene shared many stories of hope, encouragement, and success, which have come out of the PCN's Women's Empowerment Program. This program reached women, not only within the church, but also those who worked within local government areas, helping to empower women politically, socially, economically, and in matters of health. Unfortunately, the program is limited by available funding.

Arlene has an extensive list of notable Nigerian women, including leaders of the Medical Association, the Legal Association, and then Engineers' Association. Nigerian women have excelled in almost every field of endeavor. Within the PCN women, however, have always been a strong force. Some of their most notable early missionaries were women, like Mary Slessor from Scotland. Agnes Gollan and Joan Rochement were the first missionaries from the PCC appointed to Nigeria in the 1950s. The PCN elected women elders before the Church of Scotland, and in fact they ordained a Scottish missionary, which was a challenge for the sending church. Rev. Mgbeke Okore of the PCN was the first woman in Nigeria to be ordained as a minister. The Women's Guild of the PCN is a large, powerful part of the whole Church, involved in every aspect of Church life.

The Presbyterian Church is one part of the struggle to resist gender discrimination in Nigeria. The Ecumenical Forum For Women's Empowerment (ECOFWE), which provides microcredit loans for small businesses and agricultural projects, Lady Ibiam Girls' Secondary School, and a project for mentally and physically challenged children, are just a few examples organizations that Arlene, and other women of faith in Nigeria are supporting as they work toward equality for women and for all who are oppressed.

Arlene returned to Canada in 2009, and is currently doing deputation to finish her appointment with International Ministries while she seeks a call to congregational work in Canada. Her contribution to the PCN and the PCC were recognized through a minute of appreciation at the recent General Assembly. She notes that while she is happy to be settling in Canada again, her heart and her prayers are still with the people of Nigeria.