Vanguard Allure

Top Menu

  • Vanguard

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Allure Magazine
    • Features
    • Magazine
    • Profiles
  • Allure TV
  • Celebration
    • Fashion & Style
    • Weddings
    • Lifestyle
    • Events
  • Wellbeing
    • Allure Woman
    • Healthy Living
    • Beauty
  • Happiness
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Travel
    • Relationships
    • Career
  • News
  • Vanguard

logo

Vanguard Allure

  • Home
  • Allure Magazine
    • Behold Nollywood's Game Changing Producers

      May 15, 2022
      0
    • Faith Morey: Supermodel Living Her Dream

      May 9, 2022
      0
    • Linda Uneze: The Transformational Coach

      May 1, 2022
      0
    • Kate Henshaw: Fighting for Women’s Rights

      April 24, 2022
      0
    • King Hakbal: Styling Royalties

      April 17, 2022
      0
    • Aisha Gambo: In Pursuit of Sustainable Development

      March 29, 2022
      0
    • IWD: Women who broke glass ceilings

      March 14, 2022
      0
    • IWD: Women Bridging Gender Gaps

      March 7, 2022
      0
    • Zikel Cosmetics introduces SkinFit collection to the Nigerian market

      March 2, 2022
      0
    • Features
    • Magazine
    • Profiles
  • Allure TV
  • Celebration
    • Fashion & Style
    • Weddings
    • Lifestyle
    • Events
  • Wellbeing
    • Allure Woman
    • Healthy Living
    • Beauty
  • Happiness
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Travel
    • Relationships
    • Career
  • News
    • 1994 ‘Glamour Girls’ remake to premiere on Netflix June 24

      May 22, 2022
      0
    • Kim Kardashian files for emergency protective measure following death threat

      May 22, 2022
      0
    • D'banj reveals kid bro was kidnapped

      May 21, 2022
      0
    • JJC's son resumes attack on Funke Akindele and dad, alleges they cheated ...

      May 21, 2022
      0
    • Documentary on Yoruba culture features Ooni Of Ife, Femi Kuti

      May 21, 2022
      0
    • Blossom Chukwujekwu traditionally weds lover in Benin city

      May 20, 2022
      0
    • Toyin Lawani calls out Chioma Ikokwu for spreading rumours about her

      May 20, 2022
      0
    • Rihanna welcomes son with A$ap Rocky

      May 19, 2022
      0
    • Chris Rock likely to host 2023 Oscars after stage slap by Will ...

      May 19, 2022
      0
  • I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

  • Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

  • Ooni of Ife honours actress Nancy Isime with Royal African Medal

  • Alex unusual pens emotional message to AY’s daughter, Ayomide

  • Actress Ngozi Ezeonu shares stunning photos to mark 57th birthday

Allure MagazineFeatures
Home›Allure Magazine›Women Activism through the years

Women Activism through the years

October 18,2020
Share:

Words By- Josephine Agbonkhese

Somehow, when women intervene in any process, they add not only colour but stir emotions which, in turn, trigger results. A classic case in hand is the now viral heroic shot of northern rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, as she showed-up in one of the #EndSARS protests in Abuja.


Post-colonial to post-independence Nigerian history is replete with narratives of great women who stood up for causes they believed in.

From Queen Moremi of Ife to Queen Amina of Zaria, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and even to young contemporary champions like Bolatito Oduala aka Rinu in the on-going #EndSARS protest originally birthed on the streets of Twitter by irritated, tired and determined Nigerian youths, the contributions of women activists to enforcing change at various points in history, sadly, remain under-celebrated.


In this edition, we highlight some of the women who laid the foundation for activism in Nigeria, as well as those currently in the frontline of the on-going nationwide #EndSARS protest; even as we declare our utmost respect for every unsung hero involved in this reformative process in one way or the other.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

One of the pioneers of women activism in Nigeria, only very few men are as accomplished as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti in Nigeria. A founding mother of Nigerian independence, having been part of delegations to discuss the proposed national constitution, her contributions to Nigerian society as a feminist and women’s rights activist are ubiquitous to this day.
Ransome-Kuti used her privilege to co-ordinate the resistance against colonialism in Nigeria that not only targeted the British, but also, the local traditional figureheads they used to enforce their rules.
The Abeokuta Women’s Union, which she founded, protested unjust taxes, corruption and the lack of women’s representation in decision-making corridors. Although widely known as the mother of Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti, Ransome-Kuti, in actual fact, led the women’s movement in her region of Southwest Nigeria. She died in 1978 after soldiers threw her from the second floor of Fela’s Lagos home during a 1977 raid.

Margaret Ekpo

One of the leading figures in Nigeria’s fight for democracy was Margaret Ekpo, a feminist politician, teacher, activist and trades union leader. Born in 1914, Ekpo toured the country in her quest to help women insert themselves into the First Republic.
An Eastern Region Advisor, in the 1950s, she teamed up with Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to spearhead several protests in the country.
As a leader of the Aba Township Women’s Association which she founded one year after her nomination to the Regional House of Chiefs in 1953, she was able to garner the trust of a large number of women in the township and turned it into a political pressure group. By 1955, women in Aba had outnumbered men voters in a city-wide election. After Nigeria’s independence in 1960, she became a hero to a generation of men and women.
Ekpo was detained by Biafran authorities for three years in prison during the Nigerian Civil War. She died in 2006.

Aba Women’s (Riot)

The Aba Women’s Riot of December 2, 1929, remains the most popular mass protest staged by women in Nigeria’s history. Numbering over ten thousand, rural Owerri and Calabar women demonstrated against the colonial government’s tax enumeration exercise which they suspected was a prelude to the extension of direct taxation to them (women). This event lit a fire across most parts of the Eastern Region within the next four weeks of the women’s war that spread across no fewer than six ethnic groups. The women, by so doing, successfully curbed the direct taxation regime.

Aisha Yesufu


Born in 1974, Aisha Yesufu is a socio-political activist. In 2014, after 300 girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Northeast Nigeria by the terrorist Boko Haram group, Yesufu, alongside Oby Ezekwesili, launched the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign to demand the release of the girls.
The campaign was one of the biggest Nigeria has ever seen and attracted global attention from people like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and a host of celebrities. The hashtag #BringBackOurGirls trended across multiple platforms worldwide, and it sparked physical protests in various countries. Yesufu has continued to remain a vocal critic of lax government policy and frequently advocates for the accountability of political office holders.
She has also been at the forefront of the #EndSARS movement. “I will not leave the fight against #EndSARS in Nigeria for her children,” she was reported to have said recently. Her popular shot in the protest which has been recreated by a young graphic artist, Abidemi Kudayisi, has been widely described as the Nigerian Statue of Liberty.

Kiki Mordi

Today, one of Nigeria’s foremost young activists, Kiki Mordi’s Sex For Grades documentary released by the BBC in October 2019, sparked uproar within and outside Nigeria. In fact, a day after the documentary was released, the Nigerian Senate re-introduced the Anti-sexual Harassment Bill and a state-of-emergency was declared on rape and sexual harassment with some states launching a Sex Offenders Register. The documentary was also nominated for an Emmy in 2020.
She has been a constant voice for women and children’s rights.
Back in 2017, she started an online petition to end police extortion and exploitation after some Nigerian policemen invaded her home and accused her and her boyfriend of being cultists; a crime which carries a five-year jail term.
Expectedly, Mordi has been actively involved in the on-going #EndSARS protest rocking the country. She was, in fact, spotted arriving one of the Ajah, Lagos, protests on a Mack truck while leading a call-and-response.

Bolatito Oduala aka Rinu

Popularly known as Rinu, Bolatito Oduala is one of the frontline leaders of the #ENDSARS protest in Lagos.
A young, dynamic human rights advocate distinguished for her outspokenness and fearlessness, she, in fact, deserves to be called a heroine for standing for the rights of the Nigerian youths even in the face of intimidation and harassments from authorities. Even when her voice seemed to have lost its sonority, Rinu did not stop speaking.
The entrepreneur and Convener of Operation Sanitise, holds a Bachelor of Education in Chemistry from the Lagos State University, Ojo.

Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin


Josephine Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin, a veteran fighter for justice, is one of the most prosecuted female rights activists in Nigeria. With over 682 awards in her kitty, the human rights activist has been arrested at various times and locations 17 times in the bid to ensure no Nigerian is marginalised.
Okei-Odumakin is the head of many human rights groups including; Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy.
She has over 25 years of human rights struggles in the country, having given herself to human welfare and the realisation of justice. Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, once described her as “a tireless fighter” whose resilience betrays her fragile physique.

TagsFunmilayo Ransome-Kuti
Previous Article

EndSars: Catholic Bishop Warns FG Against Deploying ...

Next Article

Looks from Protest Ground

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • EntertainmentNews

    Bolanle Austin-Peters Steps into Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s Shoes

    November 28, 2021
    By RITA
  • Allure MagazineNews

    Daddy Freeze teaches men how to avoid prostate cancer

    June 23, 2017
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineNews

    ”God will present the right man to me at the right time” -Actress, Rita Dominic

    April 29, 2017
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineNews

    Actress, Stella Damasus slays in husband’s shirt

    March 30, 2017
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineBeautyEntertainmentEventFashion & StyleNews

    #Grammy 2018: See the ladies in black on the Grammy red carpet (photos)

    January 29, 2018
    By allure1
  • Allure MagazineNews

    Comic actor, Victor Osuagwu says he plans to retire to farming

    March 15, 2018
    By allure1
0

  • Celebration

    Regina Daniels gifts her younger sister, Destiny, a car on her birthday (video)

  • Beauty

    Regina Askia steps out with her pretty daughter

  • News

    ‘Maria is a good wife material’ – Uche Maduagwu slams reality star’s critics

  • 5312
    Followers
  • 12744
    Likes

Timeline

  • May 23, 2022

    I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

  • May 23, 2022

    Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

  • May 23, 2022

    Ooni of Ife honours actress Nancy Isime with Royal African Medal

  • May 23, 2022

    Alex unusual pens emotional message to AY’s daughter, Ayomide

  • May 23, 2022

    Actress Ngozi Ezeonu shares stunning photos to mark 57th birthday

Categories

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

    By joy onuorah
    May 23, 2022
  • Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

    By joy onuorah
    May 23, 2022
  • Ooni of Ife honours actress Nancy Isime with Royal African Medal

    By Temitope
    May 23, 2022
  • Alex unusual pens emotional message to AY’s daughter, Ayomide

    By Temitope
    May 23, 2022
  • Chioma Jesus, Sammie Okposo, Midnight Crew set for #THUGGLA2018

    By RITA
    April 24, 2018
  • American rapper, Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer prize for 2017 ‘Damn’ album

    By RITA
    April 17, 2018
  • Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti drops new album titled ‘Black Times’ 

    By RITA
    April 23, 2018
  • Actor, Yul Edochie declares intention to run for presidency

    By RITA
    April 23, 2018

Entertainment

  • May 23, 2022

    I need a husband urgently – Eucharia Anunobi

  • May 23, 2022

    Korra Obidi acquires new ride amidst divorce saga

  • May 22, 2022

    1994 ‘Glamour Girls’ remake to premiere on Netflix June 24

  • May 21, 2022

    Blood Sisters lead actress, Ini Okojie, marries Instagram fan turned lover

  • May 21, 2022

    Documentary on Yoruba culture features Ooni Of Ife, Femi Kuti

Follow us