Beyond Monarchy, Money, and Matrimony: Mixed Memories of Nigeria’s emeritus Queen
Olanrewaju Oyedeji
In her 70 years as the world’s most prominent sovereign, the Queen Regnant’s grace and comportment almost stamped female leadership as the...
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Dataphyte
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully on 8 September 2022. Her departure evoked mixed feelings from people and countries within and without the Commonwealth of Nations that she presided over for 70 years.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on 21 April 1926 in Mayfair, London, as the first child to the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).

“Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, and their marriage lasted 73 years until he died in 2021. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.”

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until she died in 2022.

She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death.

Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, and the second-longest verified reign of any sovereign in history.

Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen of 7 independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth.

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth was served by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms.

Queen Elizabeth II was Soverieign over Nigeria, the most populous former Bristish protectorate on the African continent, till 1963, when the country became a republic. Since then Nigeria had been in the Commonwealth, barring its suspension during the Sanni Abacha military dictatorship.

“Although she faced occasional republican sentiment and media criticism of her family—particularly after the breakdowns of her children’s marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997—support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom remained consistently high throughout her lifetime, as did her personal popularity”, her Wikipedia profile reads. The New York Times scuccintly captured how the world reacted to her death:

In Britain: As Britons come to terms with the loss of the woman who embodied the country for 70 years, many are unsure of their nation’s identity and role in the world.

In the U.S.: In few places outside Britain was the outpouring of grief so striking as in the faraway former British colony, which she never ruled and rarely visited.

In Scotland: At a time of renewed mobilization for Scottish independence, respect for the queen could temporarily dampen the heated debate.

In the Commonwealth: For nations with British colonial histories like New Zealand, Australia and Antigua and Barbuda, the queen’s death is rekindling discussions about a more independent future.

In Africa: Though the queen was revered by many on the continent, her death reignited conversations about the brutality the monarchy meted out there.

Further details from her Wikipedia profile showed that “The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as:

The Troubles in Northern Ireland,

Devolution in the United Kingdom, the

Decolonisation of Africa, and

The United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union.

She was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III, on 8 September 2022.

Beyond Monarchy: UK’s Truss joined 10 Female Leaders of Commonwealth countries

Many still take it for granted that the 25-year-old Elizabeth Windsor was a female royal that distinguished herself and dignified the throne of her forbears in a patriarchal society and world.

In her 70 years as the world’s most prominent sovereign, the Queen Regnant’s grace and comportment almost stamped female leadership as the ideal globally, whether in a monarchy or democracy, in matrimony or on a board, within her country, the commonwealth, and across continents.

For the Commonwealth, Elizabeth II left behind Patricia Scotland, the first female Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

Also, for the Country, in her final week on the throne, the Queen appointed Liz Truss, a female Prime Minister in the United Kingdom.

In retrospect, it appears the Queen left these 2 women in charge of the Commonwealth and country as a symbolic parting gift and replacement of her sterling feminine leadership beyond the monarchy.

Truss also joins the 2 former female Prime Ministers that emerged in the UK only during Her Majesty’s reign – Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.

Of the 32 incumbent women Heads of state or/and Heads of government globally, more than a third of them are in the commonwealth. Besides, all of them rose to power while Elizabeth III was the head of the Commonwealth.

The first woman to head a government in the Commonwealth was Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon/Sri Lanka, in 1960.

The next was Indira Gandhi of India, who rose to become Prime Minister of India in 1980. Liz Truss, Prime Minister of the UK since 6 September 2022, is the most recent of them all.

Nigeria has never had a female head of government or head of state in its 62 years in the Commonwealth.

Beyond Money: Nigeria bottom, the UK tops in development within the Commonwealth

Nigeria is classified among the “developing economies” in the Commonwealth. This group is differentiated from advanced economies, emerging markets and frontier economies, and small states.

The 4 advanced economies in the Commonwealth are (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom)

The 6 emerging markets and frontier economies (EMFE) in the Commonwealth are Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa.

Then, 32 of the world’s 42 small states are Commonwealth members, each with a population of 1.5 million or less

The remaining Commonwealth countries are classified as developing economies, including Nigeria.

Only Nigeria fell below 50% in its development score within the Commonwealth in 2020 and 2021.

Why has Nigeria rated the least developed economy in the Commonwealth despite being the largest economy in Africa? It is because its boast of money does not equate to development.

Notwithstanding Nigeria’s young population, diverse resource wealth, and gigantic output, the country trails behind other commonwealth countries in its development with a below par achievement in its sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Commonwealth SDG Index (2020–2021)

Nigeria’s SDG situation worsened between 2020 and 2021, as the country slipped further down by 0.35 points from its dismal 49.28 points in 2020 to 48.93 points in 2021. In both years, Nigeria was the least developed country in the Commonwealth.

Of the 40 Commonwealth countries listed in the 2021 report, 18 countries declined in their SDG Index between 2020 and 2021 including the last place country, Nigeria.

The SDG Index is a weighted average score of 17 sustainable development levels that has been achieved by each country in the world – SDGs 1-17 (see table below).

However, while UK was ranked as the most developed country in the Commonwealth in 2020 and 2021, in the latest global 2022 SDG rankings, no Commonwealth country is ranked among the 1st 10 countries in terms of their achievement in SDGs.

Furthermore, apart from the UK itself at the 11th position, no other commonwealth country is ranked among the first 20 developed countries in the world.

In addition, only one-fifth (11 of the 54) Commonwealth countries were ranked among the first 80 countries of the World in terms of sustainable development levels attained.

The remaining 44 of the 54, that is, four-fifth of Commonwealth countries are situated among the last 83 countries of the world. This calls for a renewed search for the meaning and possibilities of the Commonwealth alliance.

World 2022 SDG Index Ranking and Score

Nigeria ranks 139th among the 163 world countries, ahead of only 4 of its Commonwealth and Sub-Saharan contemporaries, Zambia at 140th with 54.2 score; Mozambique at 143rd with 53.6 score; Malawi at 145th with 53.3 score, and Sierra Leone at 146th with 53.0.

Nigeria’s improvement in its developmental efforts ensured that no Commonwealth country is currently below the average 50 score. Nigeria’s 54.2 score in the 2022 SDGs report surpassed its 49.28 score in 2020 and 48.93 score in 2021.

According to the Commonwealth Office, the body tasks itself with mutual support for Democracy, government and law; Environment and climate change; Small states; Society and young people; and Trade and economy within members.

“The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states. Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies.

“The members have a combined population of 2.4 billion, almost a third of the Earth’s population, of whom 1.21 billion live in India, and 95% live in Asia and Africa combined.

“The most recent members to join were the Francophone African nations of Gabon and Togo on 29 June 2022, who along with Rwanda and Mozambique are unique in not having a historic constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom or other Commonwealth state.

“The symbol of this free association is (now) King Charles III, who serves as the Head of the Commonwealth. This position, however, does not imbue him with any political or executive power over any Commonwealth member states; the position is purely symbolic, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the chief executive of the Commonwealth”, according to a Wikipedia commentary.

Thus, it appears there is little the new British Monarch can do for his country and commonwealth than providing symbolic examples of the ideals of the Commonwealth Charter.

Beyond Matrimony: Diana, Naomi and other Queen of Hearts

Besides women leaders in the Commonwealth like Patricia Scotland, Liz Truss and the other female commonwealth Heads of Government/State who rose to the most prominent leadership positions in their country as elected officials, there is one woman too who became a prominent leadership figure through her consortium with a male royal.

In this regard, Queen Elizabeth II did not leave the Commonwealth and Country without a Queen. By her matrimonial merits, Princess Camilla, the wife of the Queen’s son, Prince Charles, ascended the throne beside her husband as a Queen Consort.

Nevertheless, there are those women too who defy repressive patriarchal traditions to carve a different royal life for themselves beyond the matrimonial link.

Princess Diana Spencer, daughter in law to the departed Queen Elizabeth II, was forced to leave her crowded marriage to Prince Charles. She was famed to have said “I’d like to be a Queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts, but I don’t see myself being Queen of this country.” And that’s were she reigns today, even after her mysterious death, – there in the people’s hearts.

Here in Nigeria, Princess Naomi Silekunola too would not hear of those monarchical absolutes steeped in repressive patriarchal constructs. Unfazed by her husband’s clout, she opted out of her marriage with a prominent African King, the Ooni of Ife.

“I, at this moment, announce that I shall no longer be referred to as wife to the Ooni of Ife or as Queen of lle-Ife but as the Queen of the people and mother of my adorable Prince”, Princess Naomi wrote.

About a half dozen women now collaborate to fulfil Queen Naomi’s void as royal consorts.

Africa still suffers from a culture that objectifies and commercialises women and the girl child. Princess Naomi, following Princess Diana’s Commonwealth playbook, may well be leading a culture where women earn respect in the society because of their worth, and not because of who they are married to.

By and large, a woman’s worth, a girl’s grit, a female’s freedoms, matriarchy, monarchy and mystique are the themes we’ll all remember about the life and times of Elizabeth II.