or voting by women in Nigeria. Yet, in 1997, only 20 percetn of Nigerian women, who constitute more than half population, were fully involved in national development activities and only five percent of women particiapted in the Federal Legislature during the civilian regime" (Oduaran & Okukpon, 1997). In addition, there has never been a woman in the cabinet of the former Armed Forces Ruling Council of Nigeria and the present Provinical Ruling Council, the highest decision-making bodies in Nigeria" (Oduaran & Okukpon, 1997).Interpretations of Islam have been used to exclude womens access to participate equally in politics. Fatima L. Adamu (no date), a female Nigerian activist of the 90s is involved in work on gender issues in Northern Nigeria and states that "In Nigeria, womens right to be elected to the secular central government is being challenged in the name of Islam and as a result, Hausa women of Muslim faith in Northern Nigeria are being left far behing, compared with their sisters from the South" (p. 9). Adamu (no date) states that, "Interpretations of religions throughout, including Islam, have been used as grounds for refusing women their rights as individuals (p. 9). Further, Adamu (no date) explains:One cannot ignore the centrality of Islam in determining the positin of women in Muslim societies, and its impact on the everyday lives of women. In Northern Nigeria, for example, ideas about gender relations are derived from interpretations of Islam, and these ideas are enacted either through legislation or public opinion. Matters of central concern to women such as inheritance, marriage, child custody, divource, and other marital relationships are governed by Islamic rules in many Muslim societies. In Northern Nigeria, the Shariah courts, which practise Islamic personal law, remain the most relevean and widely used legal system, despite the option of using the civil court. Legal matters which concern women in their r...
