Gender Considerations in Contemporary Nigerian Politics

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume II, Issue X, October 2018 | ISSN 2454–6186

Gender Considerations in Contemporary Nigerian Politics

Rabia Shehu Fodio¹, Murtala Marafa², Dr. Umar Ubandawaki³, Dr. Sirajo Muhammad Sokoto⁴

^{1, 4}Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sokoto State University, Sokoto – Nigeria
²Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sokoto State University, Sokoto- Nigeria
³Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sokoto State University Sokoto – Nigeria

Abstract: – A number of Scholars believe that a certain involvement in social and public affairs is essential for a woman in order for her to perform her motherly role effectively. Her role as educator necessitates her performing a role in the public affairs of society. She must participate in those affairs outside the scope of the house, vis-a-vis politics. They believe that this public involvement and participation in politics is important for a better and superior performance of her more private role as wife and mother. The essence of education in general, whether it takes place at school or at home, is to create a good human being and a good member of society. Now, if a woman is expected to educate future generation and prepare them for their future life as good human beings, she must be given a basic training and a basic experience of what public life is and what public interest is all about particularly as it affects politics.

I. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to revisit Nigerian political history with two fold aim of finding out what factors helped or hindered women’s political participation from the early decades of the 20thcentury up to the present time, and to assess the implication of this for future political participation by women in the drive towards democratization. Women in Nigeria during this century have displayed mixed attitudes towards political participation. They were very active during the pre-independence period but since that time there has been a marked reduction. This pattern is not dissimilar to what obtains elsewhere in Africa.

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