Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, often times, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
THE study of the evolution and history of Nigeria is synonymous with the breath, struggles and toils of the Nigerian woman. Nigerian women have played a central role in the history of Nigeria from the pre-colonial period to the present democratic dispensation as economic warriors, educators, kings, warriors, and leaders as texts of research widely documents. The challenging circumstances of the time, foisted on our womenfolk a critical role in nation building and its sustenance and it is most questioning that the visage of these women of substance is not represented on the legal tender of Nigeria. This article seeks to interrogate the apparent nonrepresentation of women and its possible linkages to patriarchy. The history of the Nigerian woman is replete with heroines who questioned cultural norms and religious dogmas to liberate women from the shackles of patriarchal slavery. Feminism as a social theory or political movement argues that legal and social restrictions must be removed to bring about equality of the sexes, equality in the social, political, and economic spheres. Nigeria has a long history of gender inequality and discrimination against women even up to the present time. In the pre-colonial period, women played a major role in the economic and social activities of that era. They were an integral part of the political set-up of their communities. In the economic sphere, women traded and were politically active and brave.
According to Mrs. Oloyede Oluyemi in her paper “Monitoring Participation of Women in Politics in Nigeria” , “prior to colonization, Nigerian women were quite involved in the political process. She stated that women played a significant role in the political history of ancient Zaria. The city of Zaria was founded in the first half of the 16th century by a woman called Queen Bakwa Turuku. She had a daughter called Amina who later succeeded her and was later known as Queen Amina of Zaria, she was a great and powerful warrior and protector of her people. Ancient Yoruba and Hausa legends describe periods when women were either actual kings or heroines such as the powerful Queen Moremi of Ile-Ife, the powerful Queens in the Ondo and Daura histories. In the then South-East, there was the Aba women’s rebellion of 1929 where brave women were gunned down by the police force for daring to protest direct taxation imposed by the colonial administration .Nigerian women were politically active when it came to the decolonisation of their homeland during the 1940s and 50s. Women’s organizations were the channels through which women organised and mobilised against colonisation. Some key organizations during this period were the Nigerian Women’s Union and the National Council of Women’s Societies. There were also women’s wings of parties created by women that allowed for their voices to be heard. This is also when Southern Nigerian women had acquired the right to vote. The Igbo women garnered support from women for the National Council of Nigeria and Citizens, which would rule Nigeria at independence (Chuku, Gloria (2009) “Igbo Women and Political Participation in Nigeria, 1800s-2005”. The International Journal of African Historical Studies).
The educated elites who were cerebral, educated, and brave challenged patriarchy by mobilizing women to defy draconian laws and policies against women championed by the colonial administration. Women such as Margaret Ekpo a pioneering female politician and nationalist who was very instrumental in the decolonisation of Nigeria organized Market Women Association in Aba to unionise market women in the city. She used the association to fight for the economic rights of women, economic protections, and expansionary political rights of women. She played major roles in the male dominated struggle for independence. Chief Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a fiery suffragist, educator and women’s rights activist who established the Abeokuta Women’s Union amongst others and advocated for women’s rights to vote, demanding for female representation in local governing councils and an end to unfair taxes on market women. She was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1970.
In later times, the jurisprudence of feminism and its role as a vehicle for social engineering has, pivoted women into sterling roles in society which hitherto was not open to them in the social, economic, and political spheres. In contemporary times, the likes of Hajia Laila Dongoyaro, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin, Ann Kio and countless others blazed the trail for other women. The struggle for the emancipation of the Nigerian woman and nation was fought with intelligence, blood, and tears.
The naira
Prior to the advent of the Naira, the shillings and pence were introduced as the legal tender for British West Africa issued by the West African Currency Board (WACB). The highest banknote denomination was one pound while the one shilling coin was the highest coin denomination. In January 1973, the government decided to change from the metric to the decimal. The then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, announced that Nigeria would change to decimal currency as from 1st January,1973. The major currency unit would be called Naira, and the minor unit would be called Kobo. The printing of the Naira bears on its visage, the faces of notable Nigerian men of the political class and none of the visage of the great heroines this article celebrates. The various denominations do not include the visage of any woman who fought for the decolonisation and development of Nigeria. Their memory has been relegated to the abyss of obscurity which does not do justice to the struggles of our heroine’s past. It is pertinent to note that at various times, the Naira was re-issued, and higher denominations added to existing notes and not once did a Nigerian woman have her visage on the legal tender of the land. Research has not shown any criteria of the Central Bank of Nigeria as to who can be represented on the Naira note. It can be argued from the forgoing that the unwritten policy is an attempt at political/regional balancing of what the President believes are prominent figures who in his opinion has played enduring roles in Nigeria’s emancipation and development and those that immediately come to their minds as individuals are men. This omission or practice negates the culture of inclusive representation and can be rightly deduced to be an act of patriarchy.
The naira as a legal tender is a collective collateral for all Nigerians and also an instrument of history which should be reflective of all actors of our common heritage. Representation should be the common denominator as representation is an important concept for a country as diverse as Nigeria because what people see shapes their perception of reality and what they deem to be possible for themselves and for people who look like them. The conscience of a nation is the women folk and, and this conscience has been speaking truth to power since time immemorial. The struggle for an independent Nigeria was fought with the blood of women and posterity would judge it fair if their memories are immortalized and rewarded by having their visage represented and preserved for all time and future generations. May the labour of our heroine’s past not be in vain.
- Oluka, a gender and international development expert and legal practitioner, writes in from Lekki, Lagos
