Feminism in Nigeria is not a new phenomenon. It’s a movement built on the legacy of powerful women who fought for fundamental rights and equality. Yet, a growing concern today is a perceived disconnect between older and younger generations of feminists, particularly within the non-profit and advocacy space. This gap isn’t a sign of disrespect; rather, it’s a reflection of how the battlefield has shifted and how the tools of activism have evolved.
At its heart, the disconnect stems from the collision of two fundamentally different models of activism: the institutional, grassroots model of the past and the decentralised, digital model of the present.
For my generation, the journey to feminism was often rooted in stark, personal realities. The fight was for basic voice and choice. We saw brilliant women denied the opportunity to fulfill their potential and their futures determined not by their own will but by patriarchal traditions. Our activism was structured and institutional. It was a painstaking process of legal and political advocacy, community mobilisation, and tireless mentorship. We learned from our elders, understudied their strategies, and built on their hard-won gains. The pathway to leadership was often a long-term commitment within an organisation, where institutional memory was passed down through direct guidance and shared struggle.
Today’s feminist landscape, however, is shaped by a very different reality: the digital age. The internet has become the primary arena for activism, allowing young feminists to start movements and find community instantly, without needing to go through traditional gatekeepers. This has been a powerful force for change, but it’s also a double-edged sword. Online activism operates at a blistering pace, where a single tweet or viral post can set the agenda. This clashes with the slow, deliberate work of policy change and institutional reform. The anonymity of the digital space can also foster a “call-out” culture where differences in strategy or language are publicly critiqued rather than debated in person.
The battlegrounds have also shifted. While our generation fought for a woman’s right to an education or to vote, many younger feminists are focused on more nuanced issues like intersectionality the interconnected nature of race, class, and genderand the subtleties of language and personal interactions. For an activist who spent decades lobbying for a law, a debate over a specific word choice might seem trivial, but for a young feminist, it is a core battleground for creating an inclusive movement. This difference in focus often leads to a fundamental misunderstanding of each other’s priorities.
The disconnect is particularly visible within the NGO sector because of a core paradox. While other sectors like government or the corporate world have formal mentorship processes and clear career ladders, many NGOs operate on short-term, project-based funding. This model prioritises specific, measurable outcomes over the slow, unquantifiable process of building human capacity and leadership. Young activists are often hired for a project’s duration and then move on, leaving little room for the long-term mentorship that characterised the past.
This structural reality creates tension over authority. Younger activists, who may see their leaders as beholden to foreign funders or outdated methods, can be hesitant to “understudy” them. They are more likely to seek mentorship from peers or online figures who they feel are more in touch with the current realities of their struggle. This disconnect is not about disrespect, but about a fundamental divergence in who is perceived as a legitimate authority figure in the movement.
To truly honour the legacy of our foremothers and build a sustainable movement for the future, we must intentionally bridge this gap. We need to create hybrid spaces that bring together online and offline activism. NGOs must invest in formal mentorship programs and provide platforms for younger activists to lead, not just participate. It’s also crucial to value all forms of labor and provide historical context, ensuring the lessons of the past are not lost. It’s only by combining these two powerful forces one grounded in history, the other looking to the future—that we can create a truly unified movement that ensures every woman in Nigeria has a voice and a choice.
Yèyé Bunmi Dipo-Salami is the Executive Director, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights and writes from Abuja
