Empowerment of Indigenous Women in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria's development of the new Federal Capital Territory in the central part of the country named Abuja 8,000 km² in size greatly impacted on all spheres of lives of the host communities. However, the host communities of 845 settlements with over 316,000 people were exposed to urban violence and there was fear that they would be completely wiped out. The findings here are part of some surveys conducted between 1994 and 2000 on the impact of the FCT on the indigenous inhabitants. The research instruments were Focused Group Discussions and In Depth Interview Guides, Questionnaires, Observations and Content Analysis. The findings reveal that the first decade of the FCT Abuja posed challenges and the indigenous inhabitants found it difficult to adjust. With the FCDA and MFCT policies, women became empowered. The teeming urban population offered investment opportunities too, which women utilized that the former poor housewives gradually transformed into petty-business women, employees and so on, and was reflected in their improved living conditions.

Ethiopian Journal of Education and Science Vol. 2 (2) 2007: pp. 103-112