Paper short abstract:

Illicit money flow has plagued the Nigerian State for long but has become more problematic in recent times because of the significant role it plays in entrenching crooked entities in politics. A few of those who benefitted from illicit money are women. The question that were answered in this paper is the extent to which women in politics have benefitted from such illicit campaign funds and the extent to which they have developed themselves as political participants.

Paper long abstract:

Illicit money flow has plagued the Nigerian State for long but has become more problematic in recent times because of the significant role it plays in entrenching crooked entities in politics. Men have benefitted significantly from using illicit money to secure political positions while women have been marginalized in that regard. Although the law specifies that 30% of women should occupy political posts in Nigeria, women occupy less than 10% of political posts in the country. Factors like cultural and tradition sentiments, funding and fear of failure discourage women from participating fully in politics. The lip service paid by the male dominated political landscape to women’s participation in politics is also a source of discouragement to women. Funding is one of the most vital issues in seeking political posts, women usually bear the brunt of being underfunded and their male counterparts who enjoy the largesse of illicit funds hardly extend the benefits of such funds to them. Evidence from advanced nations like the UK, USA etc shows that the involvement of a reasonable number of women in politics guarantees a better life via better opportunities for women in such countries since their representatives champion their rights. In Nigeria, the impact the women in politics have had on the standard of life of women has been negligible. Questions that were answered in this paper include the extent to which women in politics have benefitted from illicit campaign funds and the extent to which they have developed themselves as political participants.