Och’Idoma Advocates Against Harmful Gender Practices

Agaba’Idu Elaigwu Odogbo John, the Och’Idoma and Paramount Ruler of Idoma Kingdom, urged for the reform or discontinuation of 25 harmful gender and cultural practices affecting women and girls. This call was made during the Fathers4Equality Recognition Awards and Traditional Leaders Conference 2026 held in Abuja, organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Centre LSD.

The identified practices include child marriage, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, discrimination against daughters in favor of sons, and unequal inheritance rights. The Och’Idoma emphasized the need to change the perception that bride price grants ownership of a woman to her husband.

He encouraged fathers to provide equal attention and opportunities to their daughters as they do to their sons. The conference aimed to redefine fatherhood around responsibility, compassion, and equality, stressing the role of traditional leaders in dismantling harmful gender norms and promoting gender justice within families and communities.