Nigerian Women of Power and their Social Munificence in a Postcolonial and Avant-Garde Perspective

Abstract

Abstract This study enumerates the prevailing social menaces in Nigeria which have been ravaging the society. These menaces, in part, can be traced to the non-functionality of the pet initiatives of the women in power corridor in the country, because the First Ladies sought to curb these social ills ab initio. But the initiatives died after the husbands of the initiators left office. The study adopted the Molara Ogundipe-Leslie’s Stiwanism as theoretical guide and employed the qualitative research method in the context of the avant-garde attitude. These near-defunct pet initiatives include Stella Obasanjo’s Child Care Trust, Titi Abubakar’s Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), The Turai Yar’Adua’s Initiative for Social Development, the Dame Jonathan’s Women for Change Initiative, Amina Sambo’s I-Care Women and Youth Initiative, the Aisha Buhari’s Future Assured and Dolapo Osinbajo’s Project Ayodele. The fact that these pet initiatives lost relevance and went down the drains after the husbands of the pet initiators left power contributed to the worsening social ills such as cases of cancers and rape violence today in Nigeria as the continued existence of the projects would have reduced prevalence and intensity as obtainable today. This goes to indicate that the bourgeoning of the pet projects run by the women was on the political eminence of the husbands of the initiators. That is patriarchy sustains feminine humanity-mediated conceptions. It is suggested that the pet conceptions of the First Ladies should receive some level of financial supports by both government and philanthropists so as to sustain their ideas after their husbands have left office. This will go a long way to reduce the prevalence of social ills such as cancer epidemic and rape violence against women.