Nigeria Looks to Increase Role of Women in Security Sector

ADF STAFF

The director-general of Nigeria’s National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies has called for amendments to legislation to increase women’s participation in defense and security.

The director-general, Abubakar Sulaiman, said at a news conference in early April that the abilities of women were going untapped in the fight against problems such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and civil disturbances, Nigeria’s Premium Times reported. He said his institute is working with the United Nations to persuade the National Assembly and relevant security agencies about the need to get women more involved.

“While these security sector institutions strive to achieve their mandates over the years, huge gender gaps are visible in their policies and operational procedures at all levels,” Sulaiman said.

Nigeria, with 224 million people, is Africa’s most populous nation as well as its largest economy. The political climate in the country began to change in 2014, when the extremist Boko Haram group started using female suicide bombers and mobilizing more girls and women in its terrorist strategies. With this increased use of women in actions against the Nigerian government has come a renewed focus on the need for the government to give women a larger role in countering the extremists’ tactics.

Nigeria has made some progress in getting women involved in the security and peacekeeping processes. Nigerian officials in November of 2023 said that the nearly 28% of Nigerian Armed Forces peacekeepers were female, surpassing the 17% recommended benchmark by the United Nations. Nigerian officials at that time said that the realities of asymmetric warfare necessitated adopting “a more realistic gender mainstreaming strategy.”

The nonprofit Mercy Corps Nigeria team works with communities, local organizations and governments to find sustainable solutions to national problems, including the underrepresentation of woman in government. The group’s programs include girls’ education, financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a humanitarian response. Mercy Corps conducted a mixed-methods research study in 2023 focusing on Women Peacebuilding Councils. The study’s findings identify three distinct ways in which such councils can work at the community level. They found that:

Women’s groups fill important gaps that other peace and security actors cannot fill.

Effective gender, peace and security efforts prioritize engagement by young people.

Collaboration and support from other peace and security actors, particularly male actors and security agencies, contribute to women’s success.

The United Nations reports that the WPS program in Nigeria is designed to achieve “the broad goal” of gender-inclusive and sustainable peace. The program’s specific objectives include increasing women’s effective participation in peace and security processes, peace negotiations, conflict prevention and resolution. The goal includes communication to improve the public’s perception of the role of women in peace and security at all levels.

The French Institute of International Relations says that while Nigerian women are rightfully categorized as victims of armed conflicts, they must not be denied the right to critical post-conflict intervention programs and rewards. The institute said that the resolution of the Boko Haram insurgency and rebuilding of the conflict-ravaged northeast Nigeria “demands an integrative gender approach.”

“Women will be relevant in the design and implementation of such policy,” the institute reported in a 2024 study. “It is, therefore, crucial that the capacity of women, particularly in northern Nigeria, is improved to take on the task of conflict resolution and peacebuilding.”

At a Women’s Peace Forum in Abuja in late 2023, more than 60 women drew up a list of recommendations for their country to consider in making better use of women in government and advocacy roles. They recommended that women engage with men as allies, “as men promoting women’s political participation is a boost that will help to create an enabling environment that values gender equality and women’s leadership in Nigeria’s political sphere,” according to the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

The group also endorsed declaring a “state of emergency” on the need to support education of women and girls, to prepare them for diverse roles in society, including participating in high-level negotiations. Other recommendations include setting aside government money earmarked specifically for gender reforms and women’s empowerment; engaging with the media to make their issues known and “harvesting” the results; and working with people in “traditional roles” including rulers, herders and farmers in finding alternative approaches to herding and farming.

The group concluded their conference by issuing a statement: “The drive towards peace and security in any society is more sustainable when women are equal partners in the efforts targeted at conflict prevention, humanitarian and recovery efforts in forging the path for lasting peace.”