Amele: This is unbelievable! How did this happen? When will these lawmakers stop treating us like second-class citizens? Making us beg for rights that should rightfully be ours? How come they can’t make a connection between the low status of women and the inability of our country to meet any of its development goals? How come they don’t understand that the feminization of poverty will lead to the total disintegration of all our communities and rip apart the moral fabric that binds us all together? When will we stop living under male oppression? Nigerian women have to beg in vain for 35% representation?

Amaka: I beg Auntie, make we hear word! Big big grammar no de tire you? Wetin you expect? See dem, big belle, big Agbada, big car, big house. Wetin dem done do for us? Na so we tanda tititititi for sun, for rain, to vote See us see trouble O! We no commot pass our boundiri. We no say make dem dash us 50%, make we waka shoulda for shoulda. Na common 35% pere we say make dem give us. Dem say no, make we manage 20%, we say oya, bring di 20%. Come and see me see trouble ooooo! Haa, Olorun o! Chineke me o! 50%, 35%, 20%, 10% we no see anytin, nada! Na for 5% we go dey? For dis Obodo Nigeria? Make dem bring their belle and Agbada come meet us for anoda election. Wetin I dey talk sef? Na we women get mumu plenty plenty. Na so we go clap, dance, cook, do chair, do table, tie Gele. Na so we go de follow dem and dia Madams de go upandan. Make dem give us position – na lie. Make dem let us put mouth for mata wey concern us – dem no go gree. Make dem help our pikin wey no get job – no vacancy. Make dem talk to Oga Gomina make he do sometin – dem no go gree come home. Na we women get mumu plenty plenty.

Pamela: We should take it easy, we don’t want a confrontation. Perhaps there is a way we can talk to them. They will be made to see reason. It is in the interest of all of them to empower women. Without women we cannot achieve anything as a nation. We need dialogue, consensus, awareness raising and we need to mobilise. We are their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, they will listen to us.

Brenda: You no dey tire for una grammar? Mobilise ko, mobilise ni. Na thunder go fire your mouth! Na you Akada women be our problem. Na you go read book, you no fit use wetin you read help oda women. Na so so competition you go dey do with de men. You go dey chase position, chase contract, look for big man husband. You no go remember us. Na when you need us you go de come meet us. Where you dey when dem dey carry our pikin go? Where you dey when dem dey rape and kill our pikin? Where you dey when we go die like fowl when we wan born pikin? All de fine fine lace and gold una get, you no fit help us make we start sometin small. You come dey blow big big grammar here. Abeg park well!

Halima: My sister, let us not do this. We have to work together. These men don’t know educated women or illiterates. They don’t know old from young. They don’t care whether we live in the city or the village. We are all beaten, raped, abused and even killed the same. It doesn’t matter if we are 4, 14, 24, 44 or 84 years old. As far as they are concerned we are all women. We are less than them

We know less, can only do less, are only allowed less. No matter where we are or who we are, we are always less than them. Let us work together. Together we are strong, we can move things, we can right the wrongs. When they see we are together, the good men will join us and we will get what we want. If they see we are divided, they will keep getting away with cheating us

Amaka: Ehen, you don dey talk now. You go de organize seminar for Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt. You go de do meeting for Hilton, Sheraton, Raddison. When you de go America, you no remember us. We no get time for talk, na for action we dey. Na you go tell us when una ready. As you see us so, na we go close market, close motor park, close bank. We go go all dem party, APC, PDP, Labour, KOWA and all de oda small small ones. Anyone wey no fit put 35% for women, make them no show face again. We go talk to all de Godfada dem. See yourself, Akada for notin! we no get Godmoda! We sef go close, no food, no Ponyor till further notice. We go even talk to those sisters we de sell de oda kain market, dem too go close. If pikin say make him mama no sleep, na him own eye no go close.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com