Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on the status of women’s rights and gender equality in various countries around the globe.
In late December, Nigeria’s top Muslim cleric called on lawmakers to reject a bill currently under debate in the National Assembly that would allow women the right to inherit family wealth and property, saying it goes against the teachings of the Quran. In an email interview, Ngozi Odiaka, a lecturer at Afe-Babalola University in Nigeria, discusses women’s rights in Nigeria.
WPR: What is the current status of gender equality and women’s rights in Nigeria?