Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has charged the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to encourage women to join the military.
She gave the charge at the Defence Headquarters’s one-day Gender Mainstreaming Conference with the theme, “Building Capacity Through Gender Mainstreaming to Meet Security Challenges.”
The First Lady, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, commended the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for organising the programme.
“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.
The First Lady noted that security challenges in the nation have become increasingly complex, thus the need for all Nigerians to support security agencies.
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 added.
She said it is recognised that security encompasses not only military strength but also the protection of human rights, economic stability, and social and environmental sustainability.
Mrs Tinubu 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 bringing a more reconciliatory perspective into negotiations,” she said
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