Posted by In order to achieve police reform and reduce poverty in Nigeria, National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has stated that the Federal Government is implementing particular efforts to engage women into peace-building operations.
It is essential to national security, he argues, that women be included in local decision-making.
As he put it,
You are aware that the Renewed Hope Agenda includes bolstering national security as one of its core tenets. In order to successfully implement plans to reform the police and lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, women’s empowerment is essential.
Women suffer and help bring about harmony in their communities. Therefore, having women active at all levels is crucial to national security.
The federal government does really make efforts to include more women in peacekeeping efforts. That’s why we figured it was crucial to join the discussion and have some input on the program’s final recommendations.
When asked about government attempts to help those affected by violent extremism and terrorism recover and return to society, Ribadu responded that governments at all levels, but notably in the North-East, have always been there to lend a hand.
He explained that it was because of this that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had made poverty reduction a focus of the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs.
In his own words, Ribadu remarked,
“If you look closely at the recent appointments, you will see that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has been expanded to include poverty alleviation, and their ambition is to ensure that all the needs of those who are impacted by insecurity, whether in conflict areas, or areas that are recovering from conflicts were attended to.
You must have seen that the Minister went to Zamfara to deliver palliative care after being appointed to do so. State and federal support has always been available for rehabilitation and social reintegration services for victims of violent extremism and terrorism.
Peace-building and meeting women’s needs in terms of health care, psychological services, and community revitalization are therefore intertwined in Maiduguri’s rehabilitation and reconstruction initiatives. This, then, is the essential core of any future recovery.