By our correspondent
ABUJA – The Federal Government has called on Nigerian fathers to end discriminatory practices that favour male children over their female siblings, saying equality must begin within the family.
The government, through the National Human Rights Commission, also urged fathers to challenge harmful cultural norms that reinforce gender inequality and contribute to gender-based violence in Nigerian communities.
The Director, Legal Services and Enforcement Department of the NHRC, Rabi Anwalu Anwar, who represented the Commission’s Executive Secretary Tony Ojukwu stated this at the Fathers4Equality Recognition Awards and Traditional Leaders Conference 2026, organised by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Centre LSD.
Speaking on the theme, “Redefining Fatherhood for Equality and Justice,” Anwar said fathers had a critical role to play in shaping a society where boys and girls enjoy equal opportunities, education, love and protection.
She said gender equality could not be achieved through government policies and the courts alone, stressing that the values that determine how men and women relate to one another are first learnt in the family.
Anwar illustrated the point with her own family experience, revealing that her father raised 15 daughters and 11 sons and ensured that all his children received equal opportunities.
She said all 15 daughters were educated and became graduates, adding that her father did not treat his sons better than their sisters.
“My father chose a different path. He ensured his fifteen daughters were educated; we are all graduates. He never treated his sons better than us. We were all given equal opportunities, equal expectations, and equal love,” she stated.
According to the NHRC director, the example demonstrated that fatherhood should not be defined by the gender of a child but by the opportunities, values and foundation provided by parents.
She urged fathers to raise sons who respect women as equals while ensuring that daughters grow up knowing their worth and believing in their ability to contribute meaningfully to society.
She said the NHRC recognised that gender justice must be promoted not only through legal and policy interventions but also within homes, communities and traditional institutions.
“Gender justice cannot be achieved in the courtroom or through policy alone; it must be cultivated at dining tables, in living rooms, and within the traditional institutions of our communities,” she said.
She therefore appealed to traditional rulers, fathers and male allies to commit themselves to promoting gender equality and strengthening community action against gender-based violence.
In a Keynote address, the Och’Idoma and Paramount Ruler of Idoma Kingdom, Agaba’idu Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo John, called for an end to discriminatory inheritance practices that deny daughters equal rights to family property on the basis of their gender.
He specifically identified customary practices that prevent women and daughters from inheriting family property simply because they are female as harmful norms that must be reformed.
According to him, unequal inheritance based solely on gender entrenches economic inequality and can leave women financially dependent and vulnerable to exploitation and violence.
The Och’Idoma maintained that sons and daughters should not be treated differently in matters of inheritance because of their sex, urging traditional institutions and communities to examine customs that conflict with principles of fairness, dignity and justice.
He also rejected the belief that property belonging to a married woman automatically becomes the property of her husband, stressing the importance of protecting women’s economic security and autonomy.
The monarch said traditional institutions had an important role to play in reforming harmful practices, rather than allowing customs to remain unchanged merely because they had been handed down from previous generations.
“Culture is living and must continually be guided by dignity, justice, peace, child protection and the common good,” he stated.
He added that harmful practices must be “examined, reformed and, where necessary, discontinued,” saying traditional authority should serve as a force for protection, reconciliation, responsible leadership and the wellbeing of all members of society.
On his party, the Project Director, Centre LSD, Dr. Otive Igbuzor who supported a call for equal inheritance for male and female children, emphasized the need for traditional leaders to champion gender rights across the country.
Thenationalglimpse reports that Fathers4Equality Recognition Awards and Traditional Leaders Conference 2026 was themed:: “Redefining Fatherhood for Equality and Justice”.