The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has advised the leadership of the nation’s Armed Forces to encourage more women to join the military.
The First Lady, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, spoke at the Defence Headquarters’ one-day Gender Mainstreaming Conference with the theme: Building Capacity Through Gender Mainstreaming to Meet Security Challenges.
A statement yesterday in Abuja by her spokesperson Busola Kukoyi, said the First Lady hailed the leadership of Armed Forces for organising the programme, acknowledging that the event was timely.
“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”, she said.
Senator Tinubu noted that security challenges in the nation have become increasingly complex.
“Addressing these challenges effectively requires 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.
The First Lady noted that everyone had come to acknowledge that security encompasses not only military strength but also the protection of human rights, economic stability, social and environmental sustainability.
She said it requires a collective effort to address security issues 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.
“We must promote women’s participation and leadership in security institutions, peace negotiations, conflict resolution efforts and bring a more reconciliatory perspective into negotiations”, she said.
According to her, more cooperation is required to eliminate gender-based violence within the security forces.
“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 their ranks”, she said.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, and the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Baduru, concurred to examine the First Lady’s recommendations.
The maiden edition of the Nigerian Defence Gender magazine, which featured the First Lady as its cover story, was launched at the event.
