‘Why I fight for women’- Nigerian Rights Activist, Emeka Ugwuonye

Nigerian Rights Activist and Lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, has finally
revealed why he’s defending women in Nigeria. In his lengthy
Facebook post, message the Due Process Advocates founder revealed
that he lost his father and his widowed mother single-handedly
raised him and his six siblings.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.”

Nigerian Rights Activist and Lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, has finally
revealed why he’s defending women in Nigeria. In his lengthy
Facebook post, message the Due Process Advocates founder revealed
that he lost his father and his widowed mother single-handedly
raised him and his six siblings.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.”