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FG Reaffirms Commitment To Women’s Leadership In Peace, Security
By Justina Auta
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women’s leadership in peacebuilding and national security, saying inclusive governance and greater participation of women remain critical to achieving lasting peace and sustainable development.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the maiden Women in Security Summit and Awards (WINSEC 2026) organised by the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).
The minister, who was also invested as the National Patron of NAWOJ, described the summit as a timely initiative that recognised the indispensable role of women in shaping security, governance and national development.
She said the platform affirmed that empowering women to lead, influence public discourse and participate in decision-making strengthened national security.
“Women and girls continue to bear a disproportionate burden of conflict.
“Women and children constitute about 90 per cent of those displaced by conflict, while one in three women globally experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime.
“Yet, evidence consistently shows that when women are meaningfully included in peace and security processes, peace agreements last longer, governance becomes more inclusive, and communities recover and thrive more effectively,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was implementing transformative policies to strengthen women’s leadership, expand protection for survivors of gender-based violence and promote women’s participation in peace, security and governance.
According to her, these interventions are anchored on key national and international frameworks, including the National Gender Policy, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, the Child Rights Act, the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy and Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
She said the recently approved action plan provided a renewed roadmap for advancing women’s roles in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
The minister also linked the country’s peace and security agenda to President Tinubu’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of Social Development and Families, saying strong families remained the foundation of national stability.
She said the ministry’s Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention 774 was designed to strengthen social protection systems and support vulnerable women, children and families across the country’s 774 local government areas.
“The media remains a strategic pillar in achieving all these goals.
“When women journalists do far more than report events, they shape narratives, challenge harmful stereotypes, expose injustice, counter misinformation, amplify the voices of the vulnerable and strengthen public accountability.
“Their role in conflict prevention, humanitarian response and national cohesion is indispensable to sustainable peace, security and development,” she said.
The minister also urged women to unite and actively participate in the country’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Earlier, NAWOJ National Chairperson, Hajia Aishatu Ibrahim, said WINSEC was established to provide a national platform for dialogue, partnerships and recognition of outstanding contributions by women to peace, security and national development.
She said the initiative was founded on the belief that security outcomes improved when women were fully involved in leadership and decision-making.
“Across Nigeria, women continue to serve with distinction as military officers, police officers, intelligence personnel, correctional officers, journalists, humanitarian workers, community leaders and peace advocates.
“Yet many of these remarkable contributions often go unnoticed. WINSEC was established to change that narrative,” she said.
Ibrahim said the summit aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
She also highlighted milestones recorded under her administration, including securing land and a Certificate of Occupancy for NAWOJ’s permanent national secretariat after nearly 38 years of the association’s existence.
Also speaking, Chairperson of the NAWOJ Board of Trustees, Chief Moji Makanjuola, called for stronger collaboration among government, security agencies, the media and development partners to address Nigeria’s security challenges.
She said women should no longer be seen merely as victims of insecurity but as indispensable partners in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and national security policymaking.
Makanjuola urged security institutions to institutionalise partnerships with NAWOJ through regular dialogue, joint capacity-building programmes and gender-sensitive communication strategies.
In her remarks, the UN Women Nigeria Country Representative, Ms Beatrice Eyong, represented by the Programmes Specialist, Mr Peter Mancha, described the summit’s theme as strategic and timely.
She said although women were often the worst affected by violent conflicts, global evidence had shown that they possessed unique capacities for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
“We need to create space for women to take the lead.
“A lot of conflicts that men could not resolve, women were able to resolve, and that potential needs to be maximised,” he said.
Highlights of the event included the investiture of Sulaiman-Ibrahim as NAWOJ National Patron and the presentation of awards to distinguished individuals and organisations for their contributions to NAWOJ, peacebuilding, security and women’s advancement.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
