NIGERIA IN-SEARCH OF DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT WOMEN

Abstract

Despite vast natural resources, Nigeria like most third world countries is
pervaded by poor leadership, social inequality, poverty, unemployment,
backwardness, corruption, shrinking economy amongst others. Hence,
development has been, by a stint of logic, abysmally distant and a
phantasm in the country. Considering that women in developing
societies constitute more than 50% of the population, and are
facilitators of economic productivity and by extension development, this
study employed secondary data to investigate women exclusion in
development strategies in Nigeria. Founded in the womanism theory,
this sought to provide answers to the concept of development,
Nigerian’s development policies and the place of women in
development. The paper concluded that women have irreplaceable role
to play in Nigerian’s development such as bringing the gender
perspective to development. Women should be engaged as crucial
partners in the articulation and execution of development policies in
Nigeria. There is need for women involvement in development policies
for Nigeria to be rated among developed worlds.