Oluremi Tinubu charges Army to encourage more women to join

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday charged the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to encourage more women to join the military.

Tinubu gave the charge in an address read by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima at the Defence Headquarter’s one day Gender Mainstreaming Conference with the theme, Building Capacity Through Gender Mainstreaming to Meet Security Challenges.

She urged the Army to see the need to review laws which will facilitate more women joining the military, while she also commended the leadership of the Armed Forces for organising the event which she said was timely.

“The theme is apt because it is about shaping a safer, better and more equitable world for all,” Shettima quoted Tinubu as saying in a statement signed by the First Lady’s spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi.

“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 United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325.”

The First Lady further said in the address read by the wife of the Vice President that security challenges in Nigeria have become increasingly complex.

“Addressing these challenges effectively requests innovative and comprehensive approaches and gender mainstreaming stands as a powerful tool in our arsenal,” she said.

“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.”

According to her, it is recognised that security encompasses not only military strength but also the protection of human rights, economic stability, social and environmental sustainability.

Senator Tinubu also stressed that it requires a collective effort to address security issues in a nation and advance gender mainstreaming.

“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,” she added.

“We must promote women’s participation and leadership in security institutions, peace negotiations, conflict resolution efforts and bringing a more reconciliatory perspective into negotiations.”