Nairaland Forum

I do not mean any offence to Nigerian women by asking the question that I am about to ask or by making the assertions that I am about to make in this note. However this is an important question that I have not been able to answer myself for a number of years even though I have tried my best to do so. And the question is as follows. What precisely is it about igbo women that has made them excel in public office, business, politics, the arts, the sciences, religion, leadership and social activism in just the last 12 years when compared to their counterparts from other parts of our country?



There are, of course, some equally notable and brilliant non-igbo women in our country as well who are doing, and have done, a great job in both our private and public sectors and who have also done great things in their local communities and in our nation. However when I ponder on this issue and I consider the names that are on my list of distinguished Nigerian women that have been outstanding in their various fields of endeavour over the last few years, the overwhelming majority of them are igbos. A few names will serve as an illustration of what I am trying to say and let me assure you that I have had the distinct honour and privilage of either knowing most of them quite well or working closely with at least a few, so I am speaking from an informed position. They are all well-educated, forceful, strong-willed, focused, creative, disciplined, passionate and decisive characters who are almost ''German-like'' in their work ethic and in their pursuit of excellence and perfection.



They really don't take any prisoners when it comes to their work or calling and they all do their jobs, or whatever it is that they are doing, with an almost ''messianic'' zeal. I am talking about people like Ngozie Okonjo-Iweala (the former Minister of Finance and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria who is now the Managing Director of the World Bank), Obi Ezekwezile (the former Minister of Solid Minerals and former Minister of Education of Nigeria who is now the National Vice Charman of the World Bank), Dora Akinluyi (the former Director- General of NAFDAC and the former Minister of Information for Nigeria), Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke (the former Director- General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the person that was credited with buliding it up literally from scratch), Roz Ben-Okagbue (a leading pro-democracy activist in Nigeria and one of the conveners and leaders of the Save Nigeria Group), Violet Yough (a successful, wealthy and well-respected industrialist and business woman of many years standing),



Stella Chinyelu Okoli (the Chief Executive and founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical, the most successful and largest indigenous pharmaceutical company in Nigeria), Irene Iroche (the Chief Executive of Finbank), the late Genevieve Onyuike (one of the most versatile and brilliant lawyers in Nigeria and the former President of the Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria), Joy Ogwu (the former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nigeria and presently the Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations), Evelyn Oputu (the Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Bank), Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie (a well respected and notable writer of international standing and repute and the author of the international best-seller titled ''Half A Yellow Sun''), the late Flora Nwapa (the poet, writer and essayist who was the author of the Nigerian bestseller titled ''Efuru''), Akachi Ezeigbo (a highly respected Professor of African Literature of international standing and repute) , Stella Oduah Ogiemwonyi (the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sea Petroleum and Gas Group of Companies and who is one of the biggest players in the Nigerian oil and gas industry), Genevieve Nnaji (a leading Nigerian actress), Amaka Igwe (the respected film producer and director and a key figure in the Nigerian movie industry which is known as ''Nollywood'), Bishop Peace Okonkwo (the wife of Bishop Mike Okonkwo and the co-founder of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission TREM, one of the largest and most respected Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria), Arunma Oteh (the Director General of the Securities Exchange Commision) and so many others.



If you care to do the necessary research and see what they have achieved in their various fields you will be very impressed with each and every one of them. Of course we yorubas of the west have our very own female legends, bright shining stars and great innovators too (as does every other part of Nigeria) and we have had them for the last eighty years when none in Africa could come anywhere near yoruba women in terms of leadership, class, style and innovation. A few names that come to mind are Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (who was the most formidable female leader and the greatest activist that we have ever had in Nigerian modern history), Kudirat Abiola (the second wife of Chief MKO Abiola, a formidable and utterly fearless pro-democracy fighter and the first woman to be martyred in the fight for democracy in Nigeria), Funmi Goka (who is both the first female and the first Nigerian Deputy Managing Director of Agip Petroleum), Folake Solanke (who is the first woman to ever be appointed as a Senior Advocate Of Nigeria), Lola Shoneyin (who is one of the most forceful and insightful writers of her generation), Bola Kuforiji-Olubi (the first female Chairman and chief executive of a Nigerian bank),



Eniola Fadayomi (a leading and notable banker in the early '90's), Aurora Kayode(the matriach and doyen of Lagos high society in the '30's and '40's), Bolanle Awe (a reverred and highly respected professor of philosophy and the leader in her field), Ebun Oyagbola (the first woman to ever be appointed as a Federal Minister in the history of Nigeria), Nike Akande (the first woman to ever be appointed as a Federal Minister for Industries in Nigeria), Joke Silva (probably the greatest and certainly one of the most versatile and respected actresses in the Nigerian film industry), Biola Alabi (the executive director of MNET Africa), Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade (who has contributed enormously to bosom cancer research globally and especially amongst African and African-American women) and so many others. However in the last 12 years the igbos seem to have taken over in this respect and are now well-ahead of the rest of Nigeria. Just a few years and look at what they have achieved. It really is quite remarkable. Can anyone tell me their secret or why this is so? What could be responsible for their doggedness, their natural drive, their tremendous energy and their great strength of character? What is it about these strong-willed eastern women of bantu and igbo extraction that now and all of a sudden sets them so far apart?

22 views and no single comment? hahahahahaha bad belle people.

Mr Kayode. The answer is quite simple. It is interesting to note that you even observed the time frame for this leap in fame. It is called "Partial removal of embargo placed since the end of the Civil war" I leave you to imagine what a complete removal can achieve.

@ okoro2005 I am not a fan of igbos, but i totally agree with you. Truth is better told sometimes.

ibrahimdoc: @ okoro2005 I am not a fan of igbos, but i totally agree with you. Truth is better told sometimes.

God bless you Ibrahim. Truth is scarce in this forum.

Okoro2015:
Mr Kayode. The answer is quite simple. It is interesting to note that you even observed the time frame for this leap in fame. It is called "Partial removal of embargo placed since the end of the Civil war" I leave you to imagine what a complete removal can achieve.

Your head dey there!

It's in the GENE.

mcnepow:
Your head dey there!

It derives from that 'republican' and 'independent' spirit Igbos are known for. This in no way is to suggest Igbo women are better than women from other ethnicities, as -given the same conditions and space to express themselves- all women can achieve great feats and equal their male counterparts in all fields of endeavour (not including boxing and wrestling of course ).

So it's all about the environment and family support.

daz Igbo spirit.

hav u forgotten?

just like American spirit.

I don't even think it is only the women. If you take a look at pre-colonial Nigeria, there was no urban area in Igboland but all the cities in the SE have grown to same size with others that existed pre-colonial times. Its also same with education. Most other Nigerians will be shocked that the so-called "omata men" are now Lawyers, Doctors and graduates of various fields. Many of those traders at Alaba, Ariaria and Onitsha are graduates.

It's too early in the day to start discussing the 'progress' Igbos (men and women) have made in closing the gap caused by the aftermath of the civil war.

We (Igbos) are not 'there' yet. Considering the fact that several cities of the developed world like Tokyo, New York, London, etc are more developed and far well organised than Igboland specifically and Nigeria generally, I thinks it's too early for us to start giving ourselves a pat on the back. Igbos have a lot more gaps to cover!

These abundant talents and human capital need to be brought 'down to earth' on the state of their motherland. Until, we start seeing the local benefit of such rare talent, I wouldn't say it's Uhuru yet!

PointB: It's too early in the day to start discussing the 'progress' Igbos (men and women) have made in closing the gap caused by the aftermath of the civil war.

We (Igbos) are not 'there' yet. Considering the fact that several cities of the developed world like Tokyo, New York, London, etc are more developed and far well organised than Igboland specifically and Nigeria generally, I thinks it's too early for us to start giving ourselves a pat on the back. Igbos have a lot more gaps to cover!

These abundant talents and human capital need to be brought 'down to earth' on the state of their motherland. Until, we start seeing the local benefit of such rare talent, I wouldn't say it's Uhuru yet!

correct

PointB: It's too early in the day to start discussing the 'progress' Igbos (men and women) have made in closing the gap caused by the aftermath of the civil war.

We (Igbos) are not 'there' yet. Considering the fact that several cities of the developed world like Tokyo, New York, London, etc are more developed and far well organised than Igboland specifically and Nigeria generally, I thinks it's too early for us to start giving ourselves a pat on the back. Igbos have a lot more gaps to cover!

These abundant talents and human capital need to be brought 'down to earth' on the state of their motherland. Until, we start seeing the local benefit of such rare talent, I wouldn't say it's Uhuru yet!

Nwanne! uche gi di ya!

i ve always wondered so myself for a long time. i'll give this as a reason (from personal observation): most ibo women believe that their lives revolve round d kitchen n see going to school as a status quo. most of them feel very comfortable being d housewife to a mega rich biz man as far as d doe n d comfort is there so when an ibo woman decides to work, most times she takes up a career, determines to make it and excels in her chosen field. on d other hand, most yoruba women have been taught right from when they were young to have a handiwork n not rely solely on d hubby n so when most of them work, it's just as a means of sustenance and don't aspire for excellence so it's just a few yoruba women that re really interested in having a career that's y most pple equate work wit career on NL! P.S. i'm a full blooded yoruba gal o and i love d doggedness of d ibos but no no to dier desperation for doe! this is my own observation o and is not the general rule!

bukatyne: i ve always wondered so myself for a long time. i'll give this as a reason (from personal observation): most ibo women believe that their lives revolve round d kitchen n see going to school as a status quo. most of them feel very comfortable being d housewife to a mega rich biz man as far as d doe n d comfort is there so when an ibo woman decides to work, most times she takes up a career, determines to make it and excels in her chosen field. on d other hand, most yoruba women have been taught right from when they were young to have a handiwork n not rely solely on d hubby n so when most of them work, it's just as a means of sustenance and don't aspire for excellence so it's just a few yoruba women that re really interested in having a career that's y most pple equate work wit career on NL! P.S. i'm a full blooded yoruba gal o and i love d doggedness of d ibos but no no to dier desperation for doe! this is my own observation o and is not the general rule!

You are talking from the stereo-type angle. This same stereo-type says Igbo men do not go to university but engage in trading after primary school. But the reality is that such claims do not equate statistics unless it is agreed that Igbos are more populous than other Nigerians combined which cannot be true.

In Igboland, Men, Children and Women are equal. While each play different roles with the man as the head of the family, they all have a say in the society. The Umuada has always been a powerful force to reckon with in the Igbo society and there exists matrilineal culture in some parts of Igboland. They don't discriminate against women in education in the modern Igbo society.

This article is relatively old but I agree with every bit of it..

Abagworo:


You are talking from the stereo-type angle. This same stereo-type says Igbo men do not go to university but engage in trading after primary school. But the reality is that such claims do not equate statistics unless it is agreed that Igbos are more populous than other Nigerians combined which cannot be true.

In Igboland, Men, Children and Women are equal. While each play different roles with the man as the head of the family, they all have a say in the society. The Umuada has always been a powerful force to reckon with in the Igbo society and there exists matrilineal culture in some parts of Igboland. They don't discriminate against women in education in the modern Igbo society.

pls read my post. i never said that dat ibo women don't go to d university; they do but most re content wit d housewife stuff wit a very rich guy. those that really determine to work usually build a career etc etc pls just read my post again. thanks

bukatyne: pls read my post. i never said that dat ibo women don't go to d university; they do but most re content wit d housewife stuff wit a very rich guy. those that really determine to work usually build a career etc etc pls just read my post again. thanks

na wa o! what are u saying?

Yeske!:
It's in the GENE.

I beg don't even go there with genetics. You're reducing the hard work people put in to be the best they can be to genetics
That's sad.
Each and every woman mentioned in this article worked their hearts out, tirelessly burning the midnight candle, loosing many a night of sleep.

While we celeberate the Igbo and Yoruba women, let's not forget the "Calabar woman" I was told of a period in the eastern Nigeria when Calabar(Efik, Ogoja, Ibibibio) women were celebrated and highly valued(My uncle married one who ended up leading the women in my town)
Margret Ekpo for example was a luminary who showed the way to other eastern women, she too must not be forgotten!

bukatyne: i ve always wondered so myself for a long time. i'll give this as a reason (from personal observation): most ibo women believe that their lives revolve round d kitchen n see going to school as a status quo. most of them feel very comfortable being d housewife to a mega rich biz man as far as d doe n d comfort is there so when an ibo woman decides to work, most times she takes up a career, determines to make it and excels in her chosen field. on d other hand, most yoruba women have been taught right from when they were young to have a handiwork n not rely solely on d hubby n so when most of them work, it's just as a means of sustenance and don't aspire for excellence so it's just a few yoruba women that re really interested in having a career that's y most pple equate work wit career on NL! P.S. i'm a full blooded yoruba gal o and i love d doggedness of d ibos but no no to dier desperation for doe! this is my own observation o and is not the general rule!

This makes absolutely NO sense at all.

If Igbo women according to your perspective weren't persuaded in seeking employment nor handiwork but instead chose housewife therefore from your perspective since they "are all married to rich men" shouldn't they be lacking behind those you claimed where "taught of handiwork". None of what you said actually matches up with what's expected from either behavior of your scenario for both groups. Either way, whatever tickles your fancy sha

PointB: It's too early in the day to start discussing the 'progress' Igbos (men and women) have made in closing the gap caused by the aftermath of the civil war.

We (Igbos) are not 'there' yet. Considering the fact that several cities of the developed world like Tokyo, New York, London, etc are more developed and far well organised than Igboland specifically and Nigeria generally, I thinks it's too early for us to start giving ourselves a pat on the back. Igbos have a lot more gaps to cover!

These abundant talents and human capital need to be brought 'down to earth' on the state of their motherland. Until, we start seeing the local benefit of such rare talent, I wouldn't say it's Uhuru yet!

You've said it all.

One_Naira:

This makes absolutely NO sense at all.

If Igbo women according to your perspective weren't persuaded in seeking employment nor handiwork but instead chose housewife therefore from your perspective since they "are all married to rich men" shouldn't they be lacking behind those you claimed where "taught of handiwork". None of what you said actually matches up with what's expected from either behavior of your scenario for both groups. Either way, whatever tickles your fancy sha

it makes no sense to u, fine! i believe u re an ibo person but if u read my post wit an open mind, u'll c that i am not ridiculin any group and like i said, it's my personal observation! i was actually praising d ibo women. let me put it this way: most ibo women who work want to build a career out of it while most yoruba women who work see it as a source of livelihood. i never said anywhere in my post that ibo women re lazy nor backward so i don't understand where u got that idea. i'm sorry i can't bold d part i'm referrin to cos i'm usin my phone

bukatyne: it makes no sense to u, fine! i believe u re an ibo person but if u read my post wit an open mind, u'll c that i am not ridiculin any group and like i said, it's my personal observation! i was actually praising d ibo women. let me put it this way: most ibo women who work want to build a career out of it while most yoruba women who work see it as a source of livelihood. i never said anywhere in my post that ibo women re lazy nor backward so i don't understand where u got that idea. i'm sorry i can't bold d part i'm referrin to cos i'm usin my phone

^^^You're entitled to your opinion, but of course it's not an assertion rooted in fact. You reached a conclusion based on 'your present knowledge of Igbo society', which is based on hearsay, stereotypes and non-academic chat with mates. You actually believe Igbo women -compared to Yoruba women- are more inclined to be housewifes and marry rich men as a cultural trait (code for saying Igbo women generally no dey go school when compared to Yoruba women). Care to refer us to studies that have shown this to be true?

But like i said, you're entitled to your opinion.

Topic has already been discussed on NL.

I wonder if Femi is still feeding off of what his igbo girlfriend was feeding him then. Power of punni.

Hehehehehehehe. . .

Ileke-IdI:
Topic has already been discussed on NL.

I wonder if Femi is still feeding off of what his igbo girlfriend was feeding him them. Power of punni.

PROUD-IGBO:


^^^You're entitled to your opinion, but of course it's not an assertion rooted in fact. You reached a conclusion based on 'your present knowledge of Igbo society', which is based on hearsay, stereotypes and non-academic chat with mates. You actually believe Igbo women -compared to Yoruba women- are more inclined to be housewifes and marry rich men as a cultural trait (code for saying Igbo women generally no dey go school when compared to Yoruba women). Care to refer us to studies that have shown this to be true?

But like i said, you're entitled to your opinion.

dear, i don't like draggin myself into tribal wars esp e-ones. i never said ibo women don't go to school. biko read my 1st m, 2nd posts over n over again! i was actually praising dem that's y i stated i was a yoruba gal so that no overzealous yoruba ll think i'm dissin their women! a working ibo woman is more likely to think of her career than a working yoruba woman! satisfied?

Ileke-IdI:
Topic has already been discussed on NL.

I wonder if Femi is still feeding off of what his igbo girlfriend was feeding him then. Power of punni.

No be the same power of punni way Moremi used to conquer wars for the king of Oyo

very useless man

Fanny Kayode is a known drug addict

And his opinion should be treated as such: Those of a junkie.

For example Whats the achievement of the woman he quoted below that is worth reporting

Bishop Peace Okonkwo (the wife of Bishop Mike Okonkwo and the co-founder of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission TREM, one of the largest and most respected Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria)

Fani Kayode? He's not credible!

He will soon deny everything.