Economic Recession, Women, Grassroots Governance and Nigeria's Development Aspiration: Challenges from the Fourth Republic

Abstract

Proponents of grassroots/local government envisaged a developmental system that will serve as a springboard for national development. This is anchored on the belief that grassroots development forms the basis for national development since it has a direct bearing on the citizens. However, successive governmental attempts at heralding development from this tier have been jeopardized by male dominance of the political terrain at this level of governance. This becomes compounded and more worrisome with the current economic recession the country has been plunged into with its attendant deleterious impacts on women and development. Utilizing secondary sources of data, this paper avers that the prevailing economic realities in Nigeria today are such that are impacting on women empowerment and political participation in all strata of governance with implication for development and good governance. The paper, therefore, canvasses the provision of economic and democratic incentives towards liberating women and heralding the national development