Dr. Ayisha Osori Delivers Powerful Keynote at iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival
Segun Atanda/
At the 2025 iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival, Dr. Ayisha Osori, a distinguished lawyer, journalist, and politician, delivered a searing keynote address on the systemic endangerment of women in Nigerian society.
Speaking at the festival’s second plenary session themed INCLUSION, she painted a harrowing picture of the sacrifices women continue to make in a system designed to exclude them.
Dr. Osori opened her speech with a haunting allegory—an adaptation from Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. In this powerful reimagining, she likened the plight of Nigerian women to a girl locked away in darkness, suffering in silence while society thrives at her expense. She posed a piercing question: “What then is the sacrifice of women and girls for in our society today?”
Dr. Osori underscored the worsening state of gender inequality in Nigeria, citing harrowing statistics:
- Reports of rape surged from 29% in 2020 to 65% in 2022.
- 48.2% of women believe wife-beating is justified under certain conditions.
- Only 13.4% of Nigerian women have ever used a computer, compared to 21.8% of men, exacerbating the digital divide.
- 12.5% of Nigerian girls were married before age 15, while 77.3% of trafficked persons in Nigeria in 2022 were female.
- Nigeria ranks lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa for women’s political representation, with only 4.4% in the House of Representatives and 3.6% in the Senate.
Dr. Osori linked these alarming statistics to a deeply entrenched societal structure that continues to marginalize women across political, economic, and technological spheres.
Drawing from her own political experience, as detailed in her book Love Does Not Win Elections, Dr. Osori exposed the grim realities faced by female politicians. She highlighted the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, one of only four female senators, after she accused the Senate President of sexual harassment. The response to her allegations, Dr. Osori noted, exemplified how institutions silence and sideline women who dare to challenge the status quo.
She dismantled common myths that supposedly hinder female political participation:
- The ‘Twice as Good’ Fallacy – Women are told to work harder, but excellence is often punished rather than rewarded.
- The ‘Level Playing Field’ Myth – Even when women navigate the system, they face additional hurdles beyond their male counterparts.
- The ‘Play the Game’ Illusion – Even when women engage with the system on its terms, the rules are constantly changed to keep them at a disadvantage.
She further criticized Nigeria’s flawed electoral system, arguing that by the time votes are cast, the battle for fair representation is already lost due to manipulated party primaries and systemic corruption.
The keynote set the stage for the premiere screening of Double Minority, a documentary by veteran journalist and activist Kadaria Ahmed, which further explored the diminishing representation of women in Nigerian politics. The screening was followed by a powerful all-female panel discussion.
Dr. Osori left the audience with a sobering challenge: Are we making the right sacrifices? As Nigeria grapples with its democratic identity, the continued marginalization of women threatens not just gender equity, but the very fabric of the nation’s progress.
As the festival’s theme suggests, inclusion is not merely an aspiration—it is an imperative. Will Nigeria continue to ignore the cries of women locked away in darkness, or will it finally choose to walk toward justice?
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