First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has called on the leadership of the security agencies to encourage more women to enlist into the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
She gave the charge in her address at the Defence Headquarters’ one-day Gender Mainstreaming Conference with the theme, “Building Capacity Through Gender Mainstreaming to Meet Security Challenges”.
Represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, the First Lady, welcomed the idea of gender mainstreaming initiated by the leadership of the Armed Forces.
She said; “The theme is apt because it is about shaping a safer, better and more equitable world for all. I commend the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for accepting the gender mainstreaming concept in line with the Global Best Practice and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
“Addressing these challenges effectively requests innovative and comprehensive approaches, and gender mainstreaming stands as a powerful tool in our arsenal.
“Gender mainstreaming is now much more than a charity and a policy agenda; this is a fundamental issue about the way we perceive and address security challenges”.
She said it is recognised that security encompasses not only military strength but also the protection of human rights, economic stability, social and environmental sustainability.
“We can start by ensuring that gender perspectives are integrated into security policies and strategies, encouraging more women to join and progress within the forces.
“We must promote women’s participation and leadership in security institutions, peace negotiations, conflict resolution efforts and bringing a more reconciliatory perspective into negotiations,” the First Lady stated.
She added; “Through the Renewed Hope Initiative project, we have strengthened women’s empowerment by letting women have access to training and education. Additionally, we have equipped the women with laptops and grants to support their educational and professional pursuits.
“This is because we believe that when you empower a woman, you empower a community and inevitably a nation. We, therefore, hope that the leadership within the Armed Forces will extend this dialogue beyond the confinement of this conference and empower women and ranks and their ranks.”
