Women in Nigeria have borne the brunt of the countries misfortunes. Women continue to lack access to recourses such as land, capital, technology, water and adequate health care. Majority of women, most that are rural based and most urban women continue to live in conditions of economic underdevelopment and social marginalization. With the continued impoverishment of the country and the inability to prioritize human security needs, most of our cities and towns have become violent play grounds for unemployed youths, local militia, gang s of armed robbers and kidnappers. Millions of women and girls in Nigeria have rendered voiceless due to the complex manipulations of culture, religion and tradition. This also made women and girls more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and at risk of contracting HIV & AIDS. Crimes against women, young girls and children are on the rise . Gender based violence, rapes, sexual assaults, harmful traditional and religious practices and institutionalized gender-based discrimination make private and public space in our country not safe for women and girls.
There is need to turn to strategies that can set us back on the right path. Women hold the key to fixing most of what is wrong with our country. The need to reframe the country’s democratic space is paramount. We need to bridge the huge gap between the powerful visions needed to drive the country forward and grim realities of unfulfilled expectations and dashed dreams that shape the day to day lives of millions of Nigerians.
Part of this demand for need new vision and new direction is a call for solutions to poor leadership crisis requires new faces, voices, experiences and insights; it is Nigerian women in their capacities as mothers and wives who can help drive this vision forward. Hence it has become imperative that we look at women who represents our mothers, wives and sisters to help figure a way out of these huge challenges our nation faces today
