Nigeria Decides in the Spectre of Boko Haram

As the results from the Nigerian national election trickle in it looks likely that the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan has been ousted by the ex-military, Muslim APC candidate and anti-corruption advocate: Muhammadu Buhari. He has received the majority in over a third of the states regions including the capital, Abuja. In the wake of the Boko Haram insurgency, security is rightly top of the election agenda. Women’s rights are intrinsically entwined here but rarely mentioned. Boko Haram translates as ‘Western education is sinful’ and as this denotes the group exists to halt the westernisation of the newly secular Nigerian education system and thus create an Islamic Caliphate in Northern Nigeria. They have been active since 2002 but many consider their tactics, particularly the instrumental use of women and women’s oppression to be a modern phenomenon for the group. The Sunni fundamentals recent pledge of allegiance to the Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria is worrying to foreign defence ministers in both the local region and the world around. Furthermore, surrounding countries are currently facing huge refugee influxes as a result of Boko Haram’s progress. It goes without saying that these refugees are predominantly women and children. Buhari has a fight on his hands. Because of and in spite of the rise of Boko Haram, feminism and women’s rights must also top the newly elected ministers priorities. Unfortunately, it has not been at the top of the election agenda and many Nigerian women understand formal political arenas to be patriarchal institutions therefore have no intentions of voting. For instance, it took Jonathan almost 3 weeks to acknowledge the missing Chibok girls and they are nowhere to be seen in election rhetoric.

It is impossible to see this crisis without considering gender, gender stereotypes and gender-based violence. (GBV) Boko Haram’s very modus operandi is the instrumental oppression and violation of women and girls. Once again, women serve as a currency to Boko Haram, a very valuable one. However, with the highest rates of female circumcision in the region and the constant struggle for girls right to education, Boko Haram are not alone in their patriarchal treatment of women. Nevertheless, counter to popular western ideas of the ‘monolithically oppressed African women’ feminism in Nigeria is thriving and although there is only a 8% proportional share of women in the national assembly this does not mean women are keeping quiet about their oppression. What the mainstream news didn’t tell us about this hitch in the election is that as well as problems with anti-corruption election cards, last Sunday a group of some 2000 female anti-corruption APC campaigners protested in the River State. Women’s political agency is alive and well. For the nation often considered the ‘Capital of Africa’ as the largest oil producer and biggest economy in the region it is extremely significant that Nigeria lead the way for women’s rights and the fight against Islamic extremism that targets them. Development should occur only alongside progressive moves in the fight against women’s subordination; particularly the fight against epidemics of FGM and forced marriage in the region.

Not if Boko Haram have anything to do with it. Similar to the Islamic State, the oppression of women and girls is sewn explicitly into the fabric of Boko Haram. Indeed, their initial presence in western media was as a result of the international outrage at the kidnaping of over 200 schoolgirls in 2013. Since then, although the western bandwagon seems to have trailed off the road, hundreds more women and girls have been kidnapped, raped and forced to marry members of the group. Paradoxically, in recent months, Boko Haram have exploited gender stereotypes by dressing themselves as women to commit attacks. Furthermore several of the recent suicide bombers have been women. This poses questions of whether Boko Haram are now recruiting women or whether this is simply another forced violation of women’s lives. The ascendance of Boko Haram can fundamentally be interpreted as an backlash to the rise of feminism and other ‘western ideals’ in Nigeria. The African region becomes increasingly integrated into the rampage of liberal globalisation, despite plighting resource curses and corruption. Alongside this follows a imperialist spread of western ideals. Personally I would not consider equality between men and women to be a ‘western ideal’ and I am sure that the majority of Nigerian women would not either.

Boko Haram absolutely threaten this progress and the election of a new leader in Nigeria could be a turning point in either direction. Whilst Jonathan has in place a Civilian Joint Task Force in Northern Nigeria this does not seem to be quashing the group like he had hoped. The news that the Arab League is developing a military force in the Middle East to counter their threats without Western intervention should serve as an exemplar to the African Union. The outlook for women is dismal given election rhetoric but in the fight against Boko Haram the Nigerian state can only ignore the fight for women’s rights for so long. The future of all Nigerian women and men hangs in the balance. Men are at risk of being killed on suspicion of allegiance to Boko Haram or being forced to have such allegiance and women risk further violation of their bodies and minds.