Nigeria’s Women, Cecilia Ibru

1. The Strength of
Nigeria’s Women
By:
Cecilia Ibru

2. The Strength
of Nigeria’s
Women
Historically, women in Nigeria have made significant contributions
to their peoples' social welfare and economic progress. Among the
nation’s Yoruba people, women were well represented at the helms
of long-distance trading concerns, and some achieved high levels of
status, wealth, and power. Among both the Yoruba and the Edo,
women known as queen mothers could gain considerable power
over the community, ruling from their own palaces.

3. The Strength
of Nigeria’s
Women
The traditional division of labor in Nigeria saw women largely
confined to domestic tasks such as food preparation, pottery
making, and textile crafts. Yet many gained access to communally
held lands through the rights possessed by their spouses or fathers,
and older women frequently oversaw the work of younger relatives.
Even in the most traditional households, daily life has frequently
been organized in a matrilineal fashion, with women effectively in
charge of a large proportion of household and community
resources.

4. The Strength
of Nigeria’s
Women
Today, Nigerian women are represented in a variety of professional
fields and occupations, and are active participants in the country's
political process. Their increasingly powerful role was highlighted in
a recent Forbes magazine article about up-and-coming young
African women. A few of the Nigerian women profiled in the piece
included the founder of the country's top cosmetics firm, a medical
doctor who established an air ambulance service in Lagos, and the
award-winning founder of one of Africa's top fashion companies.

5. The Strength
of Nigeria’s
Women
Through the Michael and Cecilia Foundation, executive Cecilia Ibru
has also made impressive contributions to her home country. Ms.
Ibru has strived to make a difference by expanding access to
education, vocational training, and health care.