Vivian Saleh Kpakol Series 1 - Restoring Dignity: Gender, Rights and Social Protection in Nigerian Policy-Making

Recently updated on September 16th, 2025 at 02:49 pm

Vivian Saleh Kpakol Series 1 – Restoring Dignity: Gender, Rights and Social Protection in Nigerian Policy-Making

Introduction

For many Nigerians, especially women, life is a constant negotiation for survival — not because they lack intelligence, strength, or ambition, but because policies often ignore their lived realities. In a country where women hold communities together through care, informal labor, and resilience, public policy must be more than administrative planning — it must be an instrument of dignity, justice, and recognition.

Vivian Saleh Kpakol Series 1 - Restoring Dignity: Gender, Rights and Social Protection in Nigerian Policy-Making

The role of public policy should be to see people — to understand their struggles, value their contributions, and support their flourishing. In Nigeria, this vision remains largely unrealized. Despite efforts to alleviate poverty and expand social protection, gendered experiences — especially those of working-class and rural women — remain marginalized in policy design and implementation.

This essay argues that gender-sensitive social protection policies are not just tools for poverty reduction, but essential mechanisms for restoring the dignity and rights of Nigerian women. By addressing the root causes of exclusion, valuing unpaid care work, and building inclusive systems, public policy can become a true force for national transformation.

Women’s Dignity in a Context of Disregard

Dignity is not a luxury; it is a birthright. It means being seen, valued, and treated with respect. Yet, for countless Nigerian women, the daily erosion of dignity has become normalized. Women rise early to sell goods in markets, carry heavy water buckets for miles, raise children without support, and care for elderly relatives — all while being excluded from decision-making spaces and government protections.

Even when women earn money, their labor is often dismissed as “helping” rather than “working.” The concept of dignity for these women is not theoretical — it is about having a say in their lives, having access to resources, and not being treated as second-class citizens in their homes or their country.

Martha Nussbaum (2011) stresses that human dignity lies in the ability to live a fully human life — one that includes bodily integrity, affiliation, control over one’s environment, and emotional expression. When policies fail to recognize women’s unpaid care work, when they ignore their vulnerabilities in informal economies, they not only perpetuate poverty — they strip away dignity.

A Crisis of Rights and Recognition

In most Nigerian policy frameworks, social protection is seen as a short-term economic fix rather than a long-term human right. Women, who form the bulk of the informal sector and unpaid caregivers, remain largely invisible in national budgets and programs.

Yet women’s rights — including economic, reproductive, social, and legal rights — are clearly outlined in both international and regional commitments. Nigeria is a signatory to key frameworks like:

CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 5: Gender Equality and Goal 1: No Poverty

Despite these commitments, implementation has lagged behind. Public policy too often treats women as beneficiaries, not rights holders. This needs to change. As Amartya Sen (1999) argues, freedom and development go hand in hand — and a policy that ignores women’s rights cannot be called developmental.

Social Protection in Nigeria: An Overview

In recent years, Nigeria has expanded its social protection framework, including the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which covers initiatives like:

Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs)
N-Power (employment for youth)
School Feeding Programmes
TraderMoni and MarketMoni

These programs have benefited many families, including women-led households. However, their design often lacks a gender lens. For instance, cash transfers may reach women, but without empowering them economically, socially, or politically. Research by Chukwuma and Atama (2020) found that even when women receive transfers, male household heads often control the money, reducing women’s decision-making power.

Moreover, these programs often fail to address structural inequalities. Women’s care responsibilities, lack of childcare services, exposure to gender-based violence, and exclusion from land ownership and credit are rarely acknowledged in policy implementation. The result? Temporary relief without long-term empowerment.

The Gendered Economy: What the Numbers Don’t Show

One of the most undervalued forms of labor in Nigeria is unpaid care work. Women care for children, the sick, the elderly — work that is crucial for the survival and development of society, yet receives no compensation or state support. This invisibility reflects a deep flaw in how we measure productivity and value.

As Diane Elson (2008) outlines in the “Three R’s” framework, gender-responsive policy must:

Recognize unpaid care work
Reduce the burden through infrastructure and services
Redistribute it more equally between men and women

Sadly, in Nigeria, none of these principles are yet embedded in social policy. Care remains seen as a “private issue,” despite being central to national well-being.

Learning from Others: Global Examples of Dignity-Centered Policy

Nigeria is not alone in grappling with these issues. Other nations have taken bold steps to incorporate dignity and gender equality into social protection:

Brazil’s Bolsa Família directs cash to mothers, trusting them as responsible agents of household welfare. This has improved children’s education and women’s autonomy (Lindert et al., 2007).
India’s MGNREGA mandates one-third of public work jobs go to women, with provisions for childcare at work sites (Pankaj & Tankha, 2010).
Ghana’s LEAP Program integrates cash assistance with health services and targets women-headed households (Handa et al., 2014).

These programs show that when women’s needs are deliberately prioritized, outcomes improve not just for them, but for entire communities.

Recommendations: Building Policy That Respects and Protects

If Nigeria is serious about human development, then women’s dignity and rights must be central to all social protection policies. This includes:

1. Gender Audit of All Existing Programs

Analyze who benefits, who is excluded, and why. Use gender-disaggregated data to redesign interventions that reflect real needs.

2. Legally Recognize Unpaid Care Work

Integrate care work into labor laws and social welfare frameworks. Consider tax credits, caregiver allowances, and subsidized childcare services.

3. Gender-Responsive Budgeting

Allocate resources in ways that directly benefit women and girls. As Budlender and Hewitt (2002) recommend, budgeting should reflect care, equity, and empowerment priorities.

4. Community Participation and Leadership

Women should not just be recipients; they should be involved in designing, monitoring, and evaluating policies. Grassroots women’s groups have intimate knowledge of what works.

5. Link Social Protection with Rights-Based Development

Frame social assistance as a right, not a privilege. Include legal safeguards that ensure access, appeal mechanisms, and accountability from the state.

Conclusion: Centering Women Is Centering the Nation

Nigerian women are not asking for favors — they are asking for fairness. They are asking to be seen not just as caregivers or survivors, but as citizens with rights, voice, and value. Public policy that fails to uphold women’s dignity fails the nation as a whole.

I carry with me this deep conviction: true development begins with dignity. A nation’s strength is not measured only by GDP, but by how it treats its most invisible citizens. Social protection is not just economic support — it is a declaration of who matters.

If we want a stronger Nigeria, we must write policies that lift, not pity; that empower, not pacify; and that finally say to every Nigerian woman: We see you. You matter. Your dignity is non-negotiable.

References

National Bureau of Statistics (2022). Labour Force Report: Q4 2021.
Folbre, N. (2006). Measuring Care: Gender, Empowerment, and the Care Economy. UNDP.
Chukwuma, A., & Atama, C. (2020). “Social Protection and Women in Informal Economy in Nigeria.” African Journal of Governance and Development, 9(2).
Kabeer, N. (2008). Mainstreaming Gender in Social Protection for the Informal Economy. Commonwealth Secretariat.
Lindert, K. et al. (2007). The Nuts and Bolts of Brazil’s Bolsa Família Program. World Bank.
Pankaj, A., & Tankha, R. (2010). “Empowerment Effects of the NREGS on Women Workers.” IDS Bulletin, 41(4).
Handa, S. et al. (2014). “LEAP Impact Evaluation.” UNICEF Ghana.
Okeke-Ihejirika, P., & Franceschet, S. (2002). “Democratization and State Feminism.” Development and Change, 33(3).
Oyekanmi, F. D. (2005). “Gender and Policy Issues in Nigeria.” Journal of Social Policy in Africa, 2(1).
Elson, D. (2008). “The Three R’s of Unpaid Work.” UNRISD.
UN Women (2015). Progress of the World’s Women 2015–2016.
Nussbaum, M. (2011). Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. Harvard University Press.
Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford University Press.
Budlender, D., & Hewitt, G. (2002). Engendering Budgets. Commonwealth Secretariat.
UNICEF (2019). Gender-Responsive Social Protection: A Conceptual Framework.

About the Author

Vivian Saleh Kpakol is a passionate advocate for social justice, with a strong focus on the rights and well-being of women and children — groups that are often overlooked or marginalized in policymaking. Her work is rooted in the belief that public policies must be intentionally designed to restore dignity, protect rights, and create equitable opportunities for vulnerable populations. She is particularly interested in how gender-sensitive and child-focused policies can transform lives, close inequality gaps, and drive sustainable development in Nigeria and beyond.

Vivian holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from Benson Idahosa University, Nigeria, and a Master’s degree in International Relations from Middlesex University, Dubai.

This article, “Vivian Saleh Kpakol Series 1 – Restoring Dignity, Gender, Rights, and Social Protection in Nigerian Policy-Making”, is the first in a series aimed at challenging systemic injustices and offering a roadmap for more inclusive governance.

E-mail: Kviviansalehh@yahoo.com

“Vivian Saleh Kpakol Series 1 – Restoring Dignity: Gender, Rights and Social Protection in Nigerian Policy-Making” is a Guest Post on PositiveNaija.