Active Participation of Nigerian Women in the Politics and Governance : A Reality or Mirage

The article lists and briefly describes international, regional, and Nigerian legal instruments related to the rights of women. Participation by women in Nigerian politics is low but rising. The author explores challenges encountered by women in politics as (1) poor encouragement of participation within political parties, (2) a rough style of politics with threats, blackmail, and assassinations used to scare women, (3) misconceived cultural and religious beliefs promoting submission and staying out of the public eye, (4) limited financial resources and support, and (5) perception of female politicians as unscrupulous and “loose”. The author calls for Nigeria to pass of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill to protect political rights of women, increase public awareness of women’s political rights, and criminalize discriminatory cultural and religious practices that suppress women’s participation.