Nigerian Society is Hard on Women – Simi

Singer Simisola Ogunleye, a.k.a Simi, seems to be positioning herself for a more sensitive role in the society nowadays.

With the way she is going about it, by frequently commenting on critical social issues, including gender relationships, the petite lady, whose latest album, Simisola, is the current rave of the Nigerian music scene, may end up as one of the most strident voices for Nigerian women.

The singer, in a recent interview with Hiptv, took her advocacy to another level by criticising the society for its harsh treatment of women accused of cheating in relationships.

Accusing society of being unjustly “harder” on women than it should be, especially when it came to apportioning blame for cheating in a relationship, she said, “Nobody is allowed to cheat in a relationship, but they do it anyway. If a man cheats, he is treated like scum. If a woman cheats, she is treated like scum, too. Obviously, people are harder on women.’’

In what looks like a subtle call to the women folk to rebel against convention, the singer continued, “They say it is a man’s world. But, I think it is a man’s world because we let it be so. It is not a man’s world because they (men) have any special powers nor is it a woman’s world because we have any special powers. We are all supposed to be good to each other. I am supposed to value you as a man and you are supposed to value me as a woman.”

This is not the first time that Simi has granted the television station an interview. The last time, she was quoted as saying Nigerian men were not “romantic”, thereby sparking another controversy on social media.

In the newest interview, the singer cleverly avoided making any comment on her rumoured relationships with either of two fellow artistes, Adekunle Gold and Falz the Bad Guy. Even the members of her family seemed to have made up their minds not to say anything, too.

When the subject of Simi’s relationship with Adekunle was raised during the public presentation of her new album in Lagos recently, her mother refused to confirm or deny any such intimacy between both singers.

Apparently asked about Adekunle’s involvement in the album, the singer cautiously replied, “The only reason why I have Adekunle Gold on the album is that after we had done all the songs we wanted to do, the only song that had a future, which made the final list, was the one he was involved in. There is nothing special or extraordinary about it.”