The Political Economy of Colonialism and Nation-Building in Nigeria by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030738754
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Hence, using trait theory and relying on liberal feminist theory, we argue that both men and women possess equal capacity for rationality and have requisite trait to function as leaders.

Women and Political Leadership in Nigeria: Past and Present

The nature of women and political leadership has always been a contested issue about discourse on gender and women’s rights in pre-colonial Nigeria. The debate is polarized between two groups; one advances the argument that women are readily represented and participated in pre-colonial governance architecture of Nigeria, the other argues that women are not represented and did not participate in politics in pre-colonial Nigeria. The former argument has been popularized by Oyewumi (1997, 2002, 2016), Bolanle Awe (1992), and Van Judith (1972), among others who continue to argue against a universal definition and understanding of gender, women and political leadership. Oyewumi Oyeronke in her most celebrated and controversial books The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses (1997) asserts that pre-colonial society in Nigeria particularly among the Yoruba people which her study focused on gender is flux hence discrimination and oppression does not exist which then allows women to participate in the society. Subsequently in her (2002), Conceptualizing Gender: The Eurocentric Foundations of Feminist Concepts and the Challenge of African Epistemologies Oyewunmi made two central arguments; first that there is no mark of gender in the Yoruba language and secondly that Yoruba social institutions and practices do not make social distinctions in terms of anatomical difference (Salawu, 2011: 40).

The argument of Oyeronke was further affirmed by study of Bolanle Awe on the history of women in pre-colonial society. Leadership in pre-colonial Nigeria involved both men and some few outstanding women in various spheres of the society. There exist several historical perspectives of bravery displayed by women in several dangerous circumstances either as individuals or in a group. Nigerian women in pre-colonial and colonial African states confronted and overcame oppression and violence. Women were able to confront the government and make it to reverse its decisions. According to Kolawole (1997), the nineteenth century was an outstanding period in African women mobilization. During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, some of the greatest acts of resistance and tenacious rejection of slave traders were led by women citing the invincibility of the Amazon women of Dahomey kingdom.

In what later became Nigeria, women have been active socially and politically in the affairs of their communities in Nigeria. In Yoruba land, the most famous warrior was Efunsetan Aniwura who rose to become Iyalode or leader of women in Ibadan whose business acumen gave her undisputed influence not only in commerce but also in political and social life. Madam Tinubu was also powerful that to the extent that she supplied arms to Egba people in the nineteenth century (Fayomi, 2009).

The Ijaw and Igbo women of Southern Nigeria were resourceful with trade guilds as their strong points of mobilization. Among the Igbo, the Omu signified strong economic and political influence. People with foresight like Okwei popularly remembered as Omu, prevented the imposition of British sterling on the trading groups of Eastern Nigeria.

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