My Top 5 Nigerian Women in History


I love women a lot. I am a woman which I am very proud of btw (*flips hair*), I have a cute little daughter whom I love so, so so much and I also have 3 beautiful sisters whom I cherish a lot. So, I am basically surrounded with women. Aside that, I also believe that women are a special kind of human being that are unique in their own way. We have a lot of  features, characters and abilities that are so unique to us and cannot be compared to what men have or can do. That is why you won't find me saying "I am better than a man" or trying to be a man or even competing with men because I personally believe that we are both different and unique. However, I strongly believe in feminism to some extent because I don't appreciate when a woman is sidelined, cheated or seen as a weaker person all in the name of her being a 'WOMAN'. I feel that every woman deserves be respected in the society.

I  get a lot of inspiration from women who have used what they have to impact the younger generation by either being the first to achieve something, trying to save lives or making the name of their country great, Basically, I appreciate women who have left a landmark in the sands of time for people to read, learn and be inspired. That is why I will be sharing my top 5 Nigerian women that have made history and would always be remembered even for many years to come. This list is in no particular order. I appreciate what these set of women have done/are still doing, most of them are also the "first" to achieve these feats in their professions which even makes them unique. So let's enjoy the ride together 👇👇👇

👉Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, September 15, 1977 (Age 40)
I am starting my list with this beautiful woman😍. This woman is intelligent, beautiful, fierce and of course #ProudlyNaija. She is a writer of novels, short stories and non fiction. She has written the novels: Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013); the short story collection: The Thing around your Neck (2009) and the essay: We should all be Feminists (2014). In 2008, Adichie was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as "the most prominent" of a "procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors [who] is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature". In 2016 she was conferred an honorary degree - Doctor of Humane letters, honoris causa, by Johns Hopkins University. In 2017 she was conferred honorary degrees - Doctor of Humane letters, honoris causa, by Haverford College, and The University of Edinburgh. In April 2017, it was announced that Adichie had been elected into the 237th class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the highest honours for intellectuals in the United States, as one of 228 new members and was inducted on 7 October 2017. Her most recent book was published in March 2017 entitled Dear Ijeawele. Seriously, all these achievements and she is just 40 years old😍. Who won't love her abeg (please). I will always love Chimamanda and let me just add that she is also very stylish. Inshort, she is the president of #PepperDemGang😄  - Source

Source: Instagram
 👉 Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, October 25, 1900 - April 13, 1978 (Aged 77)
She was a women’s rights activist and a teacher. She was the mother of one of Nigeria’s greatest musicians Fela Kuti. She fought for the right of Nigerian women to be able to vote. In 1949, she led a protest against the Alake of Egbaland and his abuse of his authority. Her march led to him relinquishing his crown. She also made history as the first Nigerian woman to drive a car . What an amazing woman she would have been in her time. I love her story😍Source.

Image from Aitaleabiamo
👉 Grace Alele-Williams, December 16, 1932 (Age 85)
She is a record holder in Nigeria’s education sector as the first woman to become a vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university; she was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin from 1985 to 1991. She studied at Queens College, University College, Ibadan and then the University of Vermont, before she earned her PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. She completed her post doctoral research at the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan after which she was appointed as a professor of mathematics at the University of Lagos - Source. I know it wouldn't have been an easy journey for her to be able to achieve all these but she kept on pushing hard. She has made a name for herself and I am very proud of her. Btw, she is ageing gracefully😍 #BeautyandBrain

Ageing Gracefully😍 Source
👉 Agbani Darego, December 22, 1982 (Age 35)
She’s a beauty queen and a Nigerian model who came into limelight after winning the 2001 edition of Silverbird’s Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria (MBGN) where she represented her home state as Miss Rivers. From winning MBGN, Agbani went on to the Miss Universe beauty pageant and became the first Nigerian to be placed amongst the top 10 semi-finalists, finishing seventh overall. As it is status quo, all MBGNs get to contest for the Miss World competition, Agbani was no exception. She went to Sun City in South Africa and made it to the top 5. And from top 5, Agbani Darego became Miss World 2001 winning 93 contestants to become the first Nigerian and the first Sub-Saharan African to bring the crown home (Nigeria) - Source

So Beautiful 😍 Source
👉The Bobsleigh Team (Akuoma Omeoga - June 22, 1992 (Age 25), Seun Adigun - January 3, 1987 (Age 31),  & Ngozi Onwumere - Janary 23, 1992 (Age 26))
For the first time ever, a Nigerian team of three delectable ladies made history for being the first ever African team to participate in the Winter Olympics.The trio of Seun, Ngozi and Akuoma shone like stars after successfully completing five races in the 2018 Winter Olympics. It was not an easy feat for these ladies but they made it happen amidst all. They have now entered the history books in Nigeria and Africa. Seun,who was the driver of the team, represented Surulere, Lagos. She loves sport and she is presently studying for a Doctorate/Masters degree of Chiropractic at Texas Chiropractic College (dual degree). Onwumere, represented Imo State. She is an established athlete with a gold medal to her credit from the 2015 All African Games. She is also a PhD student. Omeoga, on the other hand, is a collegiate track and field athlete and a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She represented Umuahia, Abia State on the team - Source


From L-R: Akuoma, Seun and Ngozi. Image from: She leads Africa

There are still a lot more (e.g: Wemi Ibidun😉) but these are my own top 5. These set of women have inspired me in one way or the other to keep becoming who I aspire to be and never give up even when it seems impossible. I hope you enjoyed reading this piece and I also hope that this encourages someone out there including myself to keep pushing hard because the sky is just the starting point. Until next time...💋