Wife of Osun State Governor, Mrs Ngozi Adeleke, has said the biting economic hardship in Nigeria is partly responsible for the violence and aggressive attitudes most men now exhibit in their respective homes.
She said many homes in Nigeria are facing serious hardship and as such most men, frustrated by the economic frustration, displaces their anger on their wives thereby meting violence on the innocent female gender.
She lamented the rising rate of domestic violence in the country and appealed to men to resist the frustration that the harsh economic reality in the country could cause.
The governor’s wife made this known while reacting to some cases of gender-based violence brought to her by a non-governmental organisation in the state.
Some of the cases brought by the NGO, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, include a case of a female teenager who was defiled and raped by her teacher; the case of a female civil defence officer in the state who was serially beaten and injured allegedly by her former husband; and a lady who was assaulted and injured by her estranged fiance, among others.
Mrs Adeleke attributed the alarming rate of violence and assault at homes to the aggressive and violent postures of men who had allowed poverty and hardship get to their behavioural patterns.
She said, “It is disheartening that all these (GBV cases) are happening under our nose. It is really bad that violence is everywhere now. We know that poverty can drive men crazy but it should not be to the level of beating up a woman.
“It is terrible. This hardship in the land is making domestic violence skyrocket. Poverty and hardship affecting men, making them crazier. It is getting messier everyday and it is a sorry situation. It is really bad.
“Everybody is feeling the pains, but not withstanding that should not be the yardstick or reason for people especially men folk to take to violence. Tough time does not last”.
