Education as a Panacea to Women Active Participation in Nigerian Politics

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate into the acute and perennial under-representation of women in Nigerian Politics. In Nigeria women make up half of the population and they have been known to have contributed in no small measure to the development and sustenance of the society yet they are hardly there in the political scene. We have tried in this paper to establish the ethical and theoretical basis for women active participation in Nigerian politics which among other things border on their personhood and the concept of equality, justice and human rights. The African and indeed Nigerian value system explored in this paper point to the complementarity that exists between both sexes for social harmony and cohesion. This study shows that the major militating factors against women participation in politics include; lack of democratic culture among Nigerian populace, and the general negative mind-set about the nature and ability of women. This paper therefore, proffered strategies for addressing the issue of empowering women politically.