3 Influential women who are unsung heroines of Nigeria’s Independence (With Pictures)

2. Hajiya Gambo Sawaba (1933-2001)

Hajiya Sawaba was a Nigerian politician and political activist who was a supporter of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU). She was part of the political struggle that eventually won independence for Nigeria.

Sawaba who had a poor educational background and was married at the early age of 16, rose above her challenges to emerge as a dynamic, independent political activist, helping to educate many others. She came out of colonial repression and deformity, refreshed in her political activism. And like most of her contemporaries, she put in a lot towards the emancipation of African women from the clutches of obnoxious African traditions that were perceived as anti-women.