Niger Delta Women And Democratic Transition In Nigeria, 1985 – 1993.

Abstract

The call for women empowerment in Nigerian history had never been as thunderous as it was during the heyday of Mrs Maryam Babangida, the then First Lady of Nigeria, and indeed, Nigeria’s most visible First Lady. Prompted largely by her initiative, major transformations were made in the political role of women in Nigeria. This paper assesses the inputs of some Niger Delta women towards the building of the aborted Third Republic between 1985 and 1993, usually tagged the “Babangida era”. For our present purpose the term ‘Niger Delta’ has been used to cover the defunct Rivers State, which has since 1996 come to be known as Rivers and Bayelsa States.

Key Words: Women, empowerment, Nigeria, First Lady, transformations, political, Niger Delta, Third Republic, “Babangida era”, Rivers and Bayelsa States.