ARE NIGERIAN WOMEN THE MOST UNFAITHFUL IN THE WORLD? By Danngitcommand reader

I read with amusement a re-surfaced media report of a survey carried out by Durex, in which Nigerian women were given the unenviable position of being the most unfaithful in the world, I waved it off. Shortly after, the said report gained popularity on social media, there was loud silence from the women. At this point, I ask myself, which of the aphorism applies: "Silence means consent" or "Silence is golden". The report left a sour taste and then I decided to put my thoughts on paper.

One may ask, do I have the locus standi to comment on the issue? I do, by simply being a Nigerian woman, proud of her heritage and blackness.

The survey raises lot of questions, more so, being one that had an 'authoritative' air about it.

By many accounts, there are 242 countries in the world, with a population of 7 billion as at October 31, 2011. The survey was carried out in 36 countries in which 29,000 women were interviewed. At this stage, I also wonder the parameters used in arriving at their conclusion, and I'm left in the awe of the whole, wide, world.

Back to this clime, I also ask myself: when was the survey carried? Was it carried out on Nigerian women in diaspora? Was it by any chance carried out in Nigeria? If yes, which locality, age group? Was the length and breath of Nigeria traversed? Questions, and more questions, with no answers in view.

This is not a sanctimonious piece, but Nigerian women deserve better. Nigerian women are industrious, fashionable, beautiful, hard-working, proud, competitive... We are not perfect- who is infallible anyway? but we are definitely not the most unfaithful in the world.

The average Nigerian man has a sizeable ego regardless of ethnicity, status, age, religious belief among others. He will not condone adultery or take the suspicion of it lightly. He prides in being "The Man", "The Head", "The Crown". It is "normal" for the man to have several dalliances. It is often said with resignation "He's a man". In this clime, it is still a man's world.

Culturally, unfaithfulness on the part of a woman is not treated with kids gloves. It brings social stigma on the woman, and by extension, her children. Just once, is sufficient to break the marriage. In certain cultures, there are dieties whose wrath are incurred by an unfaithful woman. "Aleku" in the Idoma speaking tribe of Benue State. The woman experiences series of grave, unfortunate events until a confession and "cleansing" is done. "Magun" in Yoruba land while its version exist in the some parts of the North and Southern parts of Nigeria. In a certain area in Eastern Nigeria, women run mad, and are healed upon the confession, and "cleansing" is also done.

Corruption is endemic in Nigeria, but for a report to lay claim on corruption and distrust as the root cause of Nigerian women being the most unfaithful in the world is questionable and laughable.

Assuming, but not conceding to the report of Nigerian women being the most unfaithful in the world, it falls back on the Nigerian men who have been quite magnanimous in condoning the act. If Nigerian women have been the most unfaithful in the world, Nigerians and Nigeria should then easily be the people and country with the highest divorce rate, after all, events follow cause.

Nigerian women are not the most unfaithful in the world, a woman is good or bad, regardless of tribe, ethnicity or nationality, and in any instance, a few cannot represent the whole bunch.

GOD bless Nigeria.

Sarah Oga
Twitter: @sarahoga