7 odd traditions still common in Nigeria that need to change

But when others hear of Nigeria, they instantly think of a third-world country in Africa that has potential but for some weird reason still falls below expectations. 

Africa as a continent is deeply rooted in culture and traditions. Most were wiped away by colonial masters who saw some cultural practices as barbaric and demonic. For example, Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary sent to Nigeria, was instrumental in putting an end to the killing of twins in 1885. 

Here are seven odd traditional practices still alive in Nigeria;

Despite efforts from international organisations, close to 3.1 million girls in Nigeria undergo female genital cutting (FGC) every year. Common reasons cited by women in surveys are social acceptance, religion, hygiene, preservation of virginity, marriageability and enhancement of male sexual pleasure.

It is believed that if a woman has her clitoris in place it will lead to all manner of evil, she will become wild and sex-driven which will cause her to lose her virginity before marriage, thereby making her unfit and undesirable by any man, and by extension, this will bring shame to the entire family.

Human sacrifice or ritual killing is still an issue in Nigeria. People secretly sacrifice fellow human beings in the pursuit of quick wealth, and others do it for spiritual fortification.

In 2022, the Council on Foreign Relations reported how the House of Representatives members moved a motion to urge the Nigerian government to declare a state of emergency on the trend of ritual killings in the country. 

In the Northern part of Nigeria, child marriage is as rampant as going to the supermarket to buy groceries. It is socially acceptable for men in their 50s and above to marry little girls of 12, 13, and sometimes even 9 years old, and they throw lavish wedding parties and post on social media for the world to see. 

Child marriage remains prevalent in Nigeria because the federal and state governments have not adequately enforced laws to prevent it, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Nigerian women are still constantly abused and traumatised when they don’t birth male children. Sometimes having one male child won’t even cut it, you need two and above to secure your place with your in-laws.

An article by Nigerian author, Ezebunwa E. Nwokocha, titled ‘Male-Child Syndrome and The Agony of Motherhood Among the Igbo of Nigeria,’ gives a deep insight into the male heir syndrome and the underlying cultural heritage.

This phenomenon is evident in societies where male children are accorded special recognition and higher status as compared to their female counterparts.

Nigerian women would win multiple Guinness world records if such were awarded for enduring domestic abuse and violence from partners. Speaking up is considered a taboo, you have to carry and endure your cross, or else you will become an outcast.

Even though there are laws against domestic abuse, victims don’t report their spouses to law enforcement agencies enough.

Having more than one wife at a time is considered big energy. Nigerian men can take in multiple wives as they please, one every week even. In the Western world, you would have to divorce your spouse before you can legally marry another. But hey, welcome to Nigeria. 

According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2008, a third of married women in Nigeria are in polygamous unions and 16% of married men (aged 15-49) have more than one wife. 

The survey also found that older men, in rural areas and with lower levels of education, were more likely to have two or more wives than other men. There is no tribe in Nigeria that actively forbids polygamy. 

As a Nigerian woman, your greatest fear is your husband’s death regardless of whether you love him or not — it is in your best interest to wish him long life. Widows are metaphorically dragged over a coal of fire, while being labelled witches and generally maltreated, especially in certain cultures.

From being forced to drink the water used to bathe her dead husband, to being forced to sleep by his grave for seven days, to shaving her hair and forbidding her to remarry.

In a recent viral video on the internet, a widow was made to cross her husband’s grave fourteen times while chanting some words to prove her innocence in his untimely demise. Widowhood in Nigeria can be a nightmare.