The history of Nigerian women is often a shunned subject. It is hardly ever discussed or taught in schools. When it is included in the curriculum, a lot of information is omitted. However, history is not complete if only one side of the story is told. This is why conversations around women’s history matter. For this reason, we are shining the light on historical women who left an impact on the sands of time.
From leading protests to demanding voting rights to defying patriarchal standards, these women cemented themselves as the forebearers of Nigerian feminism.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
You may have heard the popular and only tale of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the first woman to drive a car. While this is true, it is only a pinch of what she did. Funmilayo was a revolutionary who was known to the media as the “Lioness of Lisabi.” She founded the Abeokuta Ladies’ Club in 1944 which later became the Abeokuta Women’s Union. This union was a thorn in the flesh of the Alake and British officers.
Funmilayo led protests of 10,000 women advocating for women’s representation in government, voting rights, and an end to unfair taxes on women.
Funmilayo also spent time teaching the market women how to read and write. A member of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Funmilayo believed in education. She was at the forefront of the fight for Nigeria’s independence and often embarked on journeys around the globe for this cause. She was a founding member of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Funmilayo was honoured with a doctorate in law by the University of Ibadan in 1968. In 1965, she was made a member of the Order of the Niger for her work. Funmilayo also received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1970, honouring her humanitarian accomplishments.
Madame Nwanyeruwa
Ever heard of the Aba Women Riot of 1929? Nwanyeruwa led this protest of about 10,000 women. In fact, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was inspired by Nwanyeruwa when she began the Abeokuta Women’s Revolt. The Aba Women’s Riot, like the Abeokuta Women’s Revolt, protested the unfair taxation of market women by the British authorities.
Nwanyeruwa organised the protest after a dispute between her and an Igbo warrant officer who demanded she pay her taxes. The protests saw a status elevation of women. In some parts of the eastern region, warrant chiefs were replaced by women. Seats were given to women in the native court. The protest served as the springboard which launched many feminist courses and supercharged nationalism.
Margaret Ekpo
Nigerian women in politics today have the great Margaret Ekpo to thank. She was a frontier female politician in Nigeria’s first republic. Margaret’s first involvement in politics was the anti-colonial meetings she attended in place of her husband in 1945. Her husband was a civil servant, thus forbidden to attend such meetings. Towards the end of the decade, she formed a Market Women Association in Aba to unionise the women. The association became a platform to advocate for economic and political rights for women.
Margaret later joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). This was the political party leading the decolonisation efforts in Nigeria. She was nominated to the regional House of Chiefs by the NCNC in 1953 and created the Aba Township Women’s Association in 1954. The organisation transformed into a political pressure group under her leadership. She convinced more women to vote and in 1955, the Aba women outnumbered the male voters of Aba in a city-wide election. Ekpo went on to secure herself a seat in the Eastern Regional House of Assembly. She used her position to continually tackle issues that affected women, especially matters that concerned their economic and political rights.
Hajia Sawaba
Hajia Sawaba was a protégé of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. She was the face of the liberation of northern women. Hajia became well known when she stood up and spoke during a political lecture which was only attended by men. She joined the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU) the opposition party of the Northern People’s Progress (NPP) which was backed by British authority.
A feminist and social activist, Sawaba was arrested sixteen times for advocating against child marriage, unfair taxes, and forced and unpaid labour. She also fought for the voting rights of women and campaigned for them to have access to education and jobs. This earned her the title “the most jailed Nigerian Female.” She even had a blanket with the words “Prison Yard” stitched to it which she took whenever she was arrested.
Sawaba went on to serve as the deputy chair of the Great Nigeria People’s Party and was elected to lead the national women’s wing of the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU).
Florence Nwapa
Every fan of African literature is conversant with the name “Florence Nwapa.” Florence was the first female Nigerian author and has been called the “mother of modern African Literature.” She paved the way for a generation of African women writers. Her novels were published in the English language in Britain, making her the first African female author to achieve this feat.
Florence became one of the first female publishers in Africa when she founded Tana Press in 1970. One of the objectives of her publishing house was “to inform and educate women all over the world, especially feminists about the role of women in Nigeria, their economic independence, their relationship with their husbands and children, their traditional beliefs and status in the community as a whole.” Her books stood out for exploring themes of feminism. The recreation of life and traditions from an Igbo woman’s point of view was a field she mastered and incorporated into her books.
Bolanle Awe
Bolanle Awe was the first female academic staff in a Nigerian university. She held both a master’s and doctorate in history from St Andrews University in Scotland and Oxford University, respectively. She was among the pioneers of the comprehensive study of women’s history and feminist history. She climbed her way to professor status at the University of Ibadan, where she worked. Bolanle included oral traditions in her study which allowed for her to go beyond the colonial era. She spotlighted the constant neglect of the role of women in history. This made her co-found the Women’s Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC) to promote women’s studies research and discover new methodologies to study Nigerian women.
In 1982, she was conferred the title of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She served as the first chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) from 1990 to 1992. In 2005, she was made the pro-chancellor of the University of Nsukka. The popular history professor, Toyin Falola, named her an intellectual hero alongside Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and others.
Kofoworola Aina Ademola
The first Black African woman to earn a degree from Oxford University was Kofoworola Aina Ademola. She was a social worker and teacher who co-founded the Girls Secondary Modern School and New Era Girls’ Secondary School in Lagos. Kofoworola was chosen to occupy the presidential seat of the newly formed National Council of Women in 1958. This automatically made her a board member of the International Council of Women.
Kofoworola was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 1959. Tafawa Balewa also appointed her as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic. She was honoured with the chieftaincy titles of the Mojibade of Ake and the Lika of Ijemo.
Oyinkansola Abayomi
Did you know that there was another woman who was regarded as one of the first women to drive a car in Lagos? This woman is Oyinkansola Abayomi, and just like her feminist counterpart, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, she did more than drive a car. Oyinkansola founded the Nigerian Women’s Party whose major aim was to achieve equal rights between men and women. She also headed the Girls Guide in Nigeria.
Oyinkansola played a part in fundraising for Queens College through the West African Educated Girls’ Club, an organisation she founded. The school opened in 1927 and she was one of the founding teachers and the only Nigerian to work there. Oyinkansola was Kofoworola’s aunt and when Kofoworola was knighted by the queen, Oyinkansola was referred to as Lady Abayomi.
This year, as we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us not forget to honour our “Sheroes Past.” Let the sacrifices of these historical women inspire us to do more.
Happy International Women’s Day!
