FEMALE INHERITANCE AMONG THE IGBO OF NIGERIA: BETWEEN LEGAL INNOVATION AND DIE-HARD CUSTOM

Abstract

A major challenge confronting women in Igboland, southeastNigeria is the Igbo custom that denies female daughters andwidows the right to inherit family property. This makes theinheritance of family property among the Igbo the exclusiveright of male children. This age-long custom has subjectedwomen to discrimination and deprivation and reduced themto a second-class status in Igbo communities. Recently, theSupreme Court declared the obnoxious customunconstitutional and, therefore, void. This was followed bylegislation in Rivers and Abia States vesting women withinheritance rights in family property. This paper criticallyexamines the Igbo customary law of inheritance and itsdiscrimination against women in succession to familyproperty. It discusses the reason behind the disinheritance ofwomen from the perspective of Igbo culture and theconsequences of this discrimination for the women affected.The paper argues that beyond judicial decisions andlegislation, there is also the challenge of die-hard customthat could ensure that these legal innovations aimed ateradicating the discriminatory custom do not yield thedesired results. It makes recommendations on ways toeradicate the custom beyond judicial decisions andlegislative intervention.