Nigerian senators reject gender equality bill

For the third time in five years Nigerian senators have rejected a bill that sought to promote gender equality in the country.

The proposed package was rejected after some lawmakers in the upper chamber, mostly northern Muslims, cited social, cultural and religious concerns.

The bill focused on making discrimination on the basis of gender or marital status a crime. Another aim was to reinforce existing laws against gender-based violence.

Many of the senators who opposed the legislation during a plenary session on Wednesday said their resistance was strictly a religious issue.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and is deeply divided along religious and ethnic lines.

Only 7% of the nation's senators are women.