BRAVO TO NIGERIA’S GENDER MOVEMENT AS NIGERIA ARMED FORCES GENDER POLICY IS LAUNCHED IN ABUJA

Writes Lady Nkiru Celine Okoro

History was indeed made on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021, and a new milestone was achieved by the Nigerian gender movement with the successful launch of the Nigeria Armed Forces Gender Policy at Airforce Conference Center Kado, Abuja.

Dignitaries at the launch of Gender Policy For Armed Forces of Nigeria

Hosted by the recently appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Major General LEO Irabor (Nigerian Army Medal), the event attracted front line actors and key players in the gender and development sector including The First Lady of the Federation, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Buhari, Wife of Nigeria’s President, represented by Dr. Mrs. Hajo Sani, Special Adviser to the President on Women Affairs; The United Nation Women Country Representative to Nigeria and Ecowas Region, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, The British Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Catriona Laing CB, the first women to ever hold the position and the Namibian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Humphrey Geiseb.

Representative of the First Lady Of The Federation – Dr. Hajo Sani

The event also attracted the service chiefs from the Army, Navy, and Airforce. Present was the National President of Defence Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) Barr. Mrs.Victoria Anuli Irabor, Honorable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, represented by Director Gender, Mrs. Bulus, and the Honourable Minister’s technical Assistant Princess Jummai Idonije. Other guests were representatives of women organizations in Nigeria working on women, peace, and security, wives of service chiefs, and the media.

In his welcome address, The Chief of Defence Staff, popular for his support for gender equality and empowerment of women in the Nigerian Armed Forces and a prided male gender champion in his welcome address said, “what we are here to launch today is one of the outcomes of September 18, 2019, National Defence Conference On Women, Peace and Security Architecture in Nigeria. He referred to the 20 years United Nations Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security that mandates nation-states including Nigeria to include and involve women at all levels of peace and conflict resolution operations as the overarching policy document that informed the decision to develop the armed forces gender policy, six months after the women’s conference in 2019”. In 2018, the Nigerian women’s Defence Corp was established as a core component of its international peace operations. The 2019 women’s conference also led to the establishment of the office of the Gender Adviser to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The current press officer to the CDS is also a woman.

While this is commendable, it is on record that Nigeria’s Armed Forces in 60 years of independence is patriarchal in form and structure. It is predominantly male-focused. Women were not drafted into the officer cadre of Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) until 2011 when the first set of Officer cadets were enrolled. 

“ The statistical representation of each service as at second quarter 2020 shows that females constitute 4.2 percent of officers and 6.6 percent of soldiers in Nigerian Army; for the Nigerian Navy, they constitute 9.9 percent of officers and 12 percent of ratings, while in the Nigerian Air force they comprise 8.8 percent of officers and 13.1 percent of Airmen” this fall short of the 35% affirmative action recommendation of Nigeria’s 2007 National Gender Policy currently under review.

In her goodwill message, Barr Mrs. Vicky Irabor, National President Defence Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA) reiterated the fact that sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved in Nigeria without the active involvement of women in all peace operations as recommended by UN resolution 1325. Said she, “Women bring unique values and insights to situations”. She unequivocal terms intuned that if women were involved in the insurgency operations in the North East perhaps the issues of Boko Haram Insurgency would have been behind us by now. She challenged the leadership of the Armed forces to consider appointing women as Service Chiefs as women can deliver.

 Barr. Mrs. Victoria Anuli Irabor, National President DEPOWA

The Gender Policy for Armed forces of Nigeria was overviewed by Professor Ocholi Ekundayo of the University of Abuja. In her assessment of the gender policy, she affirmed that the book was well articulated, well written, and easy to understand. She recommends the book as reference material for research. She challenged the Armed Forces leadership that they have given Nigerians a document with which they will be assessed and judged, three months, six months, and several years to come. The Nigerian people will hold them responsible and accountable for the implementation of the provisions of the gender policy.

The gender policy for the Armed forces of Nigeria seeks to among others ensure 35 percent affirmative action of women and achieve increased women involvements in recruitment and enlistment, education and training, retention, promotion, posting, operations, logistics, accommodation, budgeting, and institution of maternity and paternity leave for both men and women of Nigerian Armed forces to mention but a few.

There is a consensus by the dignitaries, special guests, and the book reviewer Majo General PB Fakrogha that indeed if women had been sent to Sambisa forest, the challenge of Boko Haram Insurgency would have been behind us as a nation.

The Nigerian Armed Forces Gender Policy is here, Time will tell how well the Nigerian military will walk their talk by implementing to the latter the provisions of the Gender Policy for the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The Time is Ticking.

Representatives women groups working on Gender Equality & Empowerment of Women & Girls, Peace & Security in Nigeria