EU, group canvass roles for women, children, PWDs to foster security

GLOBAL Rights Nigeria has attributed the unending security crisis in the Northwest to the non-inclusion of critical stakeholders, including women and People Living with Disabilities (PWDs), in peace-building initiatives in the region.

Its Executive Director, Abiodun Baiyewu, at the Northwest Regional Conference on Women, Peace, and Security yesterday in Abuja, said the organisation had recognised that women’s voices were the missing link to restoring peace and security in the zone.

She pointed out that women’s absence from the decision-making table was costing the region its peace. The keynote speaker and Professor of Political Science, Chris Kwaja, stressed that the Nigerian police and judiciary must function proactively and responsively besides being well-resourced to provide the necessary policing structure for the country.

THIS is as the European Union (EU) stated that the rights of women, children, and PWDs were central to sustainable societies, maintaining that no society could develop economically, politically, or socially, when half of its population is marginalised.

It noted that while women represent more than half of Nigeria’s population, achieving lasting solutions to issues around their empowerment could only be achieved if they are at the decision-making table.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, who made the submission during the second yearly conference of Commissioners of State Ministries of Women Affairs, in commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, stressed that for Nigeria, being the largest democracy in Africa, women’s inclusion is crucial to the progress of the sex on the continent and beyond.

In her remarks, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, explained that the conference underscores the government’s dedication to advancing the rights, wellbeing, and empowerment of women, children, and PWDs across Nigeria.