Women Involvement in Nation Building in Nigeria

Abstract

It is naturally believed that the place of women is in the kitchen. Women are taken to occupy the secondary position as a helper, companion and home maker. Many cultural setups put women at the back position as if they lack initiative to make a meaningful contribution in the environment they find themselves.  The role of women is fundamental and vital right from the smallest unit of the society, which is, the family, community and the nations as a whole.   Irrespective of the prevailing culture in any society, the position and activities of women have in no doubt contributed to the functionality and continuity of such a society. Premised on this background, this paper analyses various stages of women struggles for leadership participation and involvement in the development of Nigeria; the paper also discusses the conceptual meaning of Women and Nation Building. In addition, it established the nexus and interconnection between women and nation building; roles of women in nation building; various factors hindering women’s participation in nation building in Nigeria and suggest ways by which women can be made to perform better. The information were obtained from were obtained from textbooks, journals, newspapers, internet materials and literature from academic journals in relation to the subject studied. The paper explored thematic on approaching the arising issues. It is therefore, the intention of this paper to examine the role of women in nation building economically, politically, traditionally, socially, religiously and educationally.  The study recommends that stakeholders in Nigeria project are urged to advocate for the protection of women from abuse, empower them economically, educationally socially and politically and review the necessary legislations to accommodate the growing interest of women in nation-building.