The hurdles Black women face in Nigeria resemble those faced by Black women in the United States.The struggle of Black women to be recognized, respected, and welcomed as leaders is an international one. Generally, Black women have been absent and invisible from leadership positions in many countries—including the author’s home country of Nigeria, where a historical dearth of women in political or official positions remains very much the case today, despite purported efforts by the Nigerian government to increase women’s participation in politics.
According to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, the national average of women’s political participation in Nigeria has remained at 6.7 percent in elective and appointive positions—far below the global average of 22.5 percent. Many of the hurdles Black women face in Nigeria resemble those faced by Black women in the United States, including discrimination, stereotyping, and a lack of support.
But Nigerian women aspiring to leadership face other hurdles more specific to Nigerian culture. Nigeria remains a patriarchal society in which men are considered the “natural” decision-makers in every sector. Women are generally looked upon as mere housewives and homemakers, unfit to lead in any place where men dominate. In Igboland, it is considered an abomination for a woman to even look upon kola nut—a crucial part of many ceremonies, gatherings, and welcomings—or bless it in any event. Instead, it is the duty of the men to pass the kola nuts and bless them.
Women who do attain leadership positions are often antagonized by men, who do not want to take instructions from a woman. It is easy to villainize a Black woman on the basis of her gender, especially if she is challenging the status quo in her career path.
Dora Akunyili: A Nigerian Leader
Despite the obstacles they face, Black Nigerian women continue to aspire to positions of leadership. Those who succeed have served as stark reminders of both the difficulty of leading as women and the potential for women to enact great positive change for the country.
Among such women, Dr. Dora Akunyili, of blessed memory, stands out. Motivated by the loss of her own sister to fake insulin medication, Dr. Akunyili sought to reform the health sector.
Despite the obstacles they face, Black Nigerian women continue to aspire to positions of leadership.
Born in Makurdi, Benue State, Akunyili graduated from the University of Nigeria in 1978 with a degree in pharmacology and received her PhD in ethnopharmacology in 1985. She was appointed the director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) in 2001 by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
At the time of her appointment to the NAFDAC, Akunyili was confronted with a health system ridden with corruption. NAFDAC had a qualified but poorly trained staff, overwhelmed with the enormous task of regulating food and drugs in Nigeria. Many engaged in unethical practices such as demanding bribes, unnecessarily delaying inspection and registration of goods, and aiding and abetting official misconduct.
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Local manufacturing facilities were not strictly monitored, and some utilized poor manufacturing practices that resulted in the production of poor-quality or contaminated products. Akunyili also encountered ill-equipped or obsolete laboratories and offices.
A Failed Public Health System
The result of all this corruption, mismanagement and neglect was a national health administration that could not ensure the safety of the people it was meant to protect.
Unscrupulous importers, who could pay their way past the regulatory authorities, found Nigeria to be a good dumping ground for fake products. Distributors would re-label drugs and regulated products to keep them on shelves longer. Drug counterfeiters could pay to have their fake products registered or cleared at the ports.
Akunyili demonstrated that a woman, a Black woman, could lead exceptionally where most men had woefully failed.
As national director of NAFDAC, Akunyili was exposed to this dark side of the regulatory apparatus. When attempts to bribe her failed, profiteers resorted to blackmail, intimidation, harassment, and threats. They dropped fetish objects in her office, which included a tortoise, blood-stained feathers, and African beads. They made threatening phone calls to her and her husband. They even resorted to attacking and, in some cases, burning down NAFDAC facilities. Akunyili herself faced multiple assassination attempts, narrowly escaping death when a bullet fired at her car barely missed her; and NAFDAC staff members faced intimidation, harassment, and assault.
Despite these challenges Akunyili left an indelible mark in NAFDAC and would be forever remembered for her contributions to national development. She met a chaotic drug distribution sector and revitalized it. She fought against corruption and bribery despite threats and assassination attempts; she promoted professionalism, excellence, and cultural heritage as the director general of NAFDAC. As a result of these reforms, she was responsible for saving countless lives.
Akunyili demonstrated that a woman, a Black woman, could lead exceptionally where most men had woefully failed, despite operating within a highly patriarchal society. Akunyili’s performance has proven that Black women should not be taken for granted when it comes to handling the mantle of leadership—and that national development is not tied to a leader’s gender, but rather their skills, knowledge, wisdom, and courage.
