Adamu

The lecture opened with comments on why development initiatives in Nigeria must engage with religions if development efforts are to improve people living standards. For religion is for most Nigerians a way of life affecting all their life choices and is not a private endeavour as in the west. The researcher had to answer questions regarding the existence of Women movements in Nigeria, leading them to define women movement.

Upon this background the study of Women’s Movement Engagement with Religion or Legal Reform was conducted. The research methodology and conceptual frameworks were briefly mentioned. The findings were discussed drawing focus to some of the successes made by the women’s movement and their engagement with religious groups to bring about the Widow Act and why even after similar engagements there still remains no significant advancement with the CEDAW been passed into law.

During the discussion concerns were raise on issue of deconstructing religion, are there differing conceptualisation of development within different religious groups and how their understanding differs from that of the widely used secular Western concepts of development and to what extend does these variances affect outcomes of development, the extend of collaboration between Christian and Muslim women, the British interest as funders of the research, the recognition and inclusion of traditional religious groups as necessary to engage, grass root women benefiting from women movements advocacy, and to what extend are popular culture in movies promoting or confirming women’s traditional gender roles.

Dr. Adamu pointed to the immense potential of religious institutions for grass root mobilisation, resources and influence in centres of power. She also addresses the ambivalent relation of cooperation and hindrance that exist with religious institutions and secular women’s movement in the particular case of the CEDAW which has received opposition from religious institutions. The issues of Equality and Reproductive rights of women are areas for contention by different religious groups. However within women movements Muslim and Christian women are actively cooperating much more than in the larger society, while there are some areas of advocacy that directly benefits only elite women, the widow act is directly benefited by many grass root women. Regarding the conceptualisation of development it was noted that more research needs to be done.