Communal conflicts in Nigeria have made many women, young and old, widows, children and orphans become breadwinners in many families in the country.
A Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Philip Hayab John, said this while delivering a paper on “The Role of Women in Curbing Insecurity in Nigeria” at a peace seminar Thursday in Abuja.
It was organised by the Broad Sustainable Women Economic Empowerment & Peace Initiative (BSWEEPI).
John said there was the need to reawaken the consciousness of Nigerian women to their sterling roles of raising reputable offspring, who due to their descent upbringing, would refuse to join bad gangs, bandits or kidnappers, thereby making the society safe.
In her keynote address, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline K. Tallen, said women’s role in curbing conflicts is yet to be accorded the right place in the country.
“Because women are marginalised in the decision making process, they are often excluded from conflict management,’’ she added.
Earlier, the founder of BSWEEP and wife of the former governor of Bauchi State, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammad Abubakar, said women as the backbone of the family had a great role to play in curbing insecurity right from the home to the larger society.
She charged women to ensure that their voices are heard, and gender equality recognised by state and non-state actors in curbing insecurity in our country.
“Women local actors and leaders, including women civil society and community-based organisations, must be involved in curbing insecurity,” she said.
