Funmi Iyanda, Toke Makinwa And Nigeria’s Fake Feminists
The word ‘feminism’ means different things to different people, overall it is about women receiving equal treatment as men (not to be confused with sameness). However the problem with feminism has been the way the champions of the Nigerian brand have portrayed themselves. An important point to note is that though they will never admit to it, most feminists in Nigeria got to that point from bitterness. They got jilted by a lover and want everyone to be like them while the others are trying to make money off people’s sadness.
If you are a feminist in Nigeria and care about women’s issue, when was the last time you spoke or led a protest over the remaining Chibok girls, when was the last time you spoke about girl child enrollment in schools? Nigerian fake feminists are more concerned with making money out of the system, using their social media leverage to get contract jobs and position in the State House, disrespecting men and other Nigerians who do not share their beliefs. Do not misunderstand us, there are women who are fighting for girls all over Nigeria.
When Funmi Iyanda does not watch Big Brother Naija and does not follow the story to know that a lot of people were offended when T-Boss could not recite the national anthem or can burn through millions in days, then she has no business saying it is because T-Boss has class or because Nigerians desperately want to become Oyinbos. When Toke Makinwa opens her mouth to say she is happy Janet Jackson is getting paid in her divorce settlement, it just shows she is insensitive. To make it worse, Janet is pregnant. The statement confirms what a lot of people say about Toke. It always has to be about money. Do you now wonder why men run from these ladies? What type of mindset is this?
It is true that we live in a global world, but you cannot remove touches of our cultural influences. That is why the Chinese keep succeeding, they are never trying to become Americans. There is nothing wrong with being single by choice, there is nothing wrong with being divorced, but stop commenting on things you don’t understand in your desperate bid to position yourself as a champion of women’s issues. No wonder some women in Nigeria are strongly anti-feminist in their outlook because they are not willing to take advice about how to live a successful life by women who have failed in their own marriages or women who have become bitter.
Imagine when a single woman is starting #wifenotcook campaign, even though they have only lived with a boyfriend whom they could not even keep. True feminists do not deny gender roles. They know men are more likely to go sign up for the army or choose a job in construction and are fine with it. These women like Dora Akunyili, Oprah Winfrey, Marissa Mayer refused to act as victims. They go out and get the job done. Real feminists are concerned about child-marriage, equal pay etc not money-grubbing and cheap popularity.
