For generations, the potential of Nigerian women to contribute effectively to national development seems to be suppressed by many factors which cut across religious, environmental and cultural constraints. Consequentl...For generations, the potential of Nigerian women to contribute effectively to national development seems to be suppressed by many factors which cut across religious, environmental and cultural constraints. Consequently, women have strongly resolved to renegotiate their relevance through the adoption and utilization of various initiatives. At the forefront, one of these initiatives early in time was Margaret Ekpo （1914-2006）, a Nigerian female political activist who unilaterally began radical movements in parts of Nigeria to transform the political consciousness of the Nigerian women, and to reverse gender-related inequalities in the country. This paper sets out to evaluate her approaches to what could be described as political re-engineering. It develops a framework drawing from theories of conflict resolution and the principles of liberalism and feminism. Findings show that despite of the limited formal education and political ideologies to which she was exposed to, she was able to rise above the prevailing challenges of her time to build a firm pedestal upon which many women politicians in Nigeria have stood to launch themselves to political limelight. The study concludes that the principles of liberalism and a desire to foster the political development of Nigeria account for Margaret Ekpo＇s venture into the political field.展开更多
文摘For generations, the potential of Nigerian women to contribute effectively to national development seems to be suppressed by many factors which cut across religious, environmental and cultural constraints. Consequently, women have strongly resolved to renegotiate their relevance through the adoption and utilization of various initiatives. At the forefront, one of these initiatives early in time was Margaret Ekpo （1914-2006）, a Nigerian female political activist who unilaterally began radical movements in parts of Nigeria to transform the political consciousness of the Nigerian women, and to reverse gender-related inequalities in the country. This paper sets out to evaluate her approaches to what could be described as political re-engineering. It develops a framework drawing from theories of conflict resolution and the principles of liberalism and feminism. Findings show that despite of the limited formal education and political ideologies to which she was exposed to, she was able to rise above the prevailing challenges of her time to build a firm pedestal upon which many women politicians in Nigeria have stood to launch themselves to political limelight. The study concludes that the principles of liberalism and a desire to foster the political development of Nigeria account for Margaret Ekpo＇s venture into the political field.
