This paper examines the multifaceted roles Nigerian women have played in national development across historical periods — from pre-colonial times through colonialism and into the contemporary era. Drawing on sources covering economics, politics, agriculture, and community organization, the paper traces how women contributed to food production, trade, spiritual life, and governance before colonization; how colonial rule disrupted those roles; and how women reasserted their influence in post-colonial Nigeria. It also highlights women's growing participation in formal politics, the civil service, small-scale trade, and community development associations, arguing that Nigerian women have been, and remain, indispensable agents of social and economic progress.
In spite of Nigerian society's patriarchal nature, the nation's women are actively involved and have central roles to play in cultural and developmental activities. The main occupations women hold are farming, mat-making, and small-scale trading, with only some employed in schools and offices. The chief responsibilities of women lie in the areas of childbearing and child-rearing, societal transformation, production, and community management. Reproducing, raising children, and assuming domestic responsibilities are regarded as natural tasks for women. Even in instances where the patriarch is negligent, the wife in a Nigerian household will continue bearing child-raising responsibilities, as they regard this as both a natural and cultural obligation (Chigbu, 2015).
Nigerian women of the pre-colonial period played a significant role in sustaining their kin groups. A subsistence-level economy was maintained in the nation before the colonialists arrived, and women effectively participated in economic activities. Besides assuming domestic responsibilities and caring for children, women were substantially involved in the manufacture and distribution of goods and services. Farmers and their wives worked side by side in food production. Women in South-Eastern Nigeria were also known to engage in palm kernel and palm oil production. Furthermore, they undertook both local and long-distance trading across different areas of the country and actively participated in the procurement and trade of foodstuffs and related commodities (Attoe, 2002).
Pre-colonial Nigerian women also participated fully in food processing — such as fish drying (particularly in the coastal Niger Delta, Calabar, and Oron regions), as well as garri processing. Women of Eastern Nigeria from Uburu, Yala, and Okposi actively engaged in salt production. They also took a keen interest in pottery-making, particularly in the region that now constitutes Abia State. Even conservative women in Northern Nigeria took part in trading and food processing activities, assisted by their children. In many households, these women's earnings supported the entire family, making them the chief breadwinners (Attoe, 2002).
Before colonization, Nigerian women also extensively delivered spiritual and healthcare services. A majority of ancient religions depicted women as immortal goddesses — Nigerian goddesses were portrayed as earth goddesses, river goddesses, and goddesses of fertility. The women of the Niger Delta were in charge of the songs, dances, and music that formed part of religious activities and festivals (Attoe, 2002).
Yet another area in which pre-colonial Nigerian women had a central part to play was politics. This was an era in which the division of labor and the African societal system were firmly in place. Nigerian women served as chiefs and participated in governance and politics; they also exercised influence through age grades and first-daughter authority. Colonialism, however, suppressed and dismantled these age-old local institutions, replacing them with the "alien" institutions of formal education, organized religion, and others. Women from most ethnic communities in the nation — especially the Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa — featured prominently in local and national politics, holding key positions. The women of Nigeria have "broken even" and are currently a strong force in the country's developmental processes (Ogunjemilua & Familugba, 2016).
The nation's Second Republic (1979–1983) produced its first female senator, France Afegbua. An improvement was observed during the Fourth Republic (1999–2004), which saw three female senators and fifteen female members of the House of Representatives. This republic proved to be an era of Nigerian women's empowerment, with women participating more extensively than ever before in formal politics. During Obasanjo's civilian government, women were appointed to highly prominent positions, including the portfolios of Defense, Transport and Aviation, and Science and Technology — roles in which they demonstrated the leadership qualities and skills crucial to the country's progress and to the overall wellbeing of Nigerian society. Several Nigerian women today hold both appointive and elective posts (Ogunjemilua & Familugba, 2016).
"Women's growing share of formal employment and political office after independence"
"Women's dominance in farming, mat-making, and small-scale commerce today"
"Women's associations driving local infrastructure and social change"
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