WOMEN RIGHTS CHALLENGES AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A CONTEMPORARY OVERVIEW

Abstract

The roles women play in the socio-economic sphere have been of immense value and critical importance for national development in Nigeria. However, women capacity to engage and be optimally productive in the economic sector has been partly abysmal due to rising issues of violation and denial of rights that manifest in unequal opportunities and discrimination against them in the Nigerian patriarchal structured society and particularly male dominated industrial environment. This paper is an overview of the contemporary status of women rights and the implications on the drive towards sustainable economic development in Nigeria. It takes into cognizance the challenges of women rights development in the country and the effects on women economic empowerment in relation to efforts aimed at tackling Nigeria's dire need for improved productivity necessary to speed up economic growth for the attainment of sustainable development goals within the 2030 global deadline. The paper recommends that government prioritizes the enforcement and monitoring of comatose instruments of gender equality and upholds girls and women rights through effective legislations and smart judicial processes in Nigeria.