Reflections on the Challenges Facing Women in Contemporary Nigeria Politics

Nigerian women have been playing crucial role in political life of the country and this has contributed in no small measure in shaping the political system of the nation. Some of their indispensable roles are dated back to pre-colonial times. However, the emergence of westernisation in Africa did not exempt the Nigerian people. After the colonisation of many Nigerian kingdoms, there was a change in the course of events. Due to the influence of colonialism on the traditional political administration, the relevance attached to the existing political institutions among women started to lose recognition. Scholars have written extensively on this but the gaps remains in the area of persisting challenges which, most often are classified as traditional to Nigerian people, militating against women in politics. This study reinforced some of these pressing challenges for future referencing. The research is qualitative and data collected are content analysed.

Keywords: Colonialism, Challenges, Women, Politics, Nigeria.