With the departure of the military government in 1999, Nigeria once again inherited a constitution flawed in both its construction and its role in providing legal framework for Nigeria’s nascent democracy. Scholars point to citizenship and the roles of the three levels of government in the functioning of the nation as key among the areas requiring changes. Few of the problems identified with the constitution can be separated from the social, economic and legal condition of Nigerian women. Much of the direct and indirect challenges to women’s rights and protections find their origins in the 1999 Constitution. Many of these issues have been well documented by scholars and activists.

The gender dimensions of the work on the reform of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria represents a significant input into national consciousness and the fostering of a democratically evolving Nigeria. This is because, to produce a constitution that is reflective of the aspiration of a pluralistic community of diverse and divergent interests, gender cannot be ignored. This work, which is supported by the Heinrich Boll Foundation, is considering in the first instance; four key areas of the constitution.