WOMEN, NIGERIAN NATIONALISM AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES: INTERROGATING THE NEGLECTED, 1900-1960

Nationalism and political activities were the cornerstone of group and national consciousness amongst the citizens of Nigeria. These struggles, which went through different phases, were not carried out solely by men, as most available documents would have us believe. The extent and the nature of womens involvement in these struggles were determined by the needs arising out of a particular history and the nature and length of the struggle itself.Adopting subaltern and African feminist theories, the paper relies on documentary evidence to demonstrate that the protest movements women engaged in during the period under study were nationalist in orientation and involved in political activities as well. The paper finds that Nigerian women cry stallised a nationalist struggle by strategically emphasising the need to question the link between the political policies,forest ordinances and regulations, and monetary policies of the colonial government and authorities, and the impact of these on their lives and those of their communities. In conclusion, the paper is a revisit of an important period in Nigerian history and of womens experiences and contributions during that period.