Nigeria, with 224 million people, is Africa’s most populated nation as well as its largest economy. The political environment in the country began to change in 2014 when the extremist Boko Haram group began using female suicide bombers and mobilizing more girls and women in its terrorist tactics. With this expanded use of women in actions against the Nigerian government has come a continued focus on the need for the government to give women a larger position in countering the extremists’ tactics.
Nigeria has made improvements in getting women involved in security and peacekeeping operations. Nigerian officials in November of 2023 stated that nearly 28% of Nigerian Armed Forces peacekeepers were female, exceeding the 17% recommended standard by the United Nations. Nigerian officials at that time stated that the realities of asymmetric warfare necessitated adopting “a more realistic gender mainstreaming strategy.”
The Director General of Nigeria’s National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies has called for modifications to legislation to increase women’s participation in defence and security. The director-general, Abubakar Sulaiman, expressed at a news conference in early April that the abilities of women were driving untapped in the fight against problems such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and civil disturbances, Nigeria’s Premium Times documented. He said his institute is operating with the United Nations to persuade the National Assembly and appropriate security agencies about the need to get women more involved.
The nonprofit Mercy Corps Nigeria team operates with communities, local organizations and governments to find sustainable resolutions to national problems, including the underrepresentation of women in government. The group’s agendas include girls’ education, financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a humanitarian reaction. Mercy Corps performed a mixed-methods research study in 2023 focusing on Women Peacebuilding Councils. The study’s findings recognise three distinct ways in which such councils can work at the community level. They found that:
Women’s groups suffice important gaps that other peace and security actors cannot fill. Practical gender, peace and security measures prioritize engagement by young people. Collaboration and permission from other peace and security actors, especially male actors and security agencies, contribute to women’s success.
The United Nations conveys that the WPS program in Nigeria is designed to perform “the broad goal” of gender-inclusive and sustainable peace. The program’s detailed objectives include increasing women’s practical participation in peace and security processes, peace negotiations, conflict prevention and resolution. The purpose includes communication to enhance the public’s perception of the role of women in peace and security at all levels.
At a Women’s Peace Forum in Abuja in late 2023, more than 60 women drew up a checklist of recommendations for their country to believe in making better use of women in government and advocacy positions. They recommended that women encounter men as allies, “as men promoting women’s political participation is a growth that will help to create an enabling environment that respects gender equality and women’s leadership in Nigeria’s political sphere,” according to the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
The group also supported declaring a “state of emergency” on the need to keep the education of women and girls, to equip them for diverse roles in society, including participating in high-level negotiations. Other suggestions include setting aside government money dedicated specifically to gender reforms and women’s empowerment; contending with the media to make their issues known and “harvesting” the results; and operating with people in “traditional roles” including rulers, herders and farmers in finding alternative methods to herding and farming.
The group finished 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.”
