Decolonizing Nigerian Women: A Historical Necessity (Published)
Nigerian women, viewed from the perspective of the “Colonial mind,” were adjudged weak, oppressed and peripheral to developments in their respective societies. This rather jaundiced perception of Nigerian women was fashioned by several colonial policies and activities spanning several decades of colonial exploitation of Nigeria. This paper seeks to show that Nigerian women were not as inconsequential and marginal to the flow of history as they were portrayed. Indeed, their contributions to the growth and development of society were real, genuine, remarkable and worthy of acknowledgment. To underscore our point, the example of traditional Ejagham women in the Cross-River region of Nigeria would be highlighted with a view to providing a worthy basis for extrapolation with women in other parts of Nigeria in order to demonstrate how Nigerian women as individuals and especially as groups contributed meaningfully to the socio-political and economic development of their respective societies.
Keywords: Colonial Mind, Gender in Nigeria, Nigerian Women