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Situation of women in Nigeria

This paper examines the situation of women in Nigeria. This sub-Saharan African nation was amalgamated by the British in the early 20th century from a collection of separate kingdoms, freed in 1960, and has since had a generally repressive, politically contentious history. NigeriaÆs women in some ways typify the roles and challenges faced by most Third World women, but their story is complex and unique.

Stephen Wright (1998) reports, ôNigeria is AfricaÆs most populous country and, economically, one of the continentÆs strongestö (p. 1). With an estimated population of 110 million, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the tenth most populous country in the world, and the fifth largest oil supplier to the U.S. market (Maier, 2000, p. xx). In terms of land mass, it is a medium-sized African nation, situated above the Equator along the southwestern bulge of the upper part of the continent, with a substantial coastline, a good share of tropical rainforests, and extending up toward the lower reaches of the Sahara Desert.

The largest city, Lagos, sits on the Gulf of Guinea, close to the border of NigeriaÆs neighbor to the west, Benin. Further down the coast lies Port Harcourt, which Karl Maier (2000) calls ôthe unofficial capital of black AfricaÆs biggest oil industryö (p. xv). The discovery of oil overshadowed an economy that had once been based primarily on agriculture (cocoa, palm oil, bananas, etc.).

The country is surrounded by nations that were all former colonies of France, ôa circumstance that has led to an interesting mix of problems relating to culture, economy, language, and securityö (Wright, 1998, p. 5). However, what became Nigeria was colonized by the British, and, as a result, its official language is English, making talking to the Western world easier than conversing with neighboring countries.

The British invaders included a substantial number of missionaries, seeking to convert the heathen m...

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Situation of women in Nigeria. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:31, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1701741.html