By Johnbosco Agbakwuru Abuja

A policy consultant at Nextier SPD, Ndidi Anyanwu, has lamented that about 60 per cent of out-of-school children are girls.

The Policy Consultant has also advised that the government should continue to strengthen institutional frameworks for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria.

She said, “There is a need to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that the NAP is effectively implemented and achieving its intended outcomes.

“There is a need to address the root causes of conflict in Nigeria, including socio-economic inequality, political instability, and environmental degradation.

“Implementing gender policy in Nigeria requires a bottom-up approach that considers the local context and cultural norms of the various regions in the country.”

The Policy Consultant contended that the Nigeria National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) is an important policy document that seeks to promote gender equality, women’s empowerment, and peacebuilding efforts in the country.

She said, “The NAP provides a framework for addressing women’s unique challenges in conflict and post-conflict situations and ensuring their meaningful participation in peace and security processes. While progress has been made in implementing the Nigeria National Plan on UNSR 1325, significant challenges and limitations still need to be addressed for the country to promote gender equality and a more peaceful and inclusive society for all.”

She said that the invisibility of women is particularly evident in positions of power and decision-making.

According to her, “Although women in the armed forces are now engaged in all areas of specialisation, including combat operations, their representation remains low compared to their male counterparts. Women’s representation in political power positions has also declined.

“In the 8th National Assembly, there were only seven females out of 109 Senate seats and 22 females out of the 360 House of Representative seats. In the 9th National Assembly, the number of female Senators remained seven, and the number of female House of Representative Members decreased to 11.

“The 10th Assembly will have fewer female members, as only 3 female Senators and 14 female House of Representatives members were elected.”

She noted that the United Nations Security Council adopted the Women’s Peace and Security (WPS) Resolution 1325 in October 2000, recognising the gendered impacts of conflict and the need to address them.

“The WPS agenda encompasses four pillars: women’s participation in decision-making and peace processes, gender mainstreaming in conflict prevention, protection of women’s and marginalised groups’ rights, and gender perspective in relief and recovery.

“Since UNSCR 1325, nine other resolutions on Women, Peace, and Security have been adopted, further emphasising the importance of women’s participation in peace and security. Additional frameworks for implementing the WPS agenda and global commitment to women’s rights include the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

“Nigeria adopted and domesticated the WPS Agenda through National Action Plan (NAP). The NAP is a strategic framework that outlines a country’s commitment to implementing the four pillars of the WPS Agenda.

“Nigeria NAP on WPS is developed through a participatory process with government agencies, civil society, and stakeholders. The implementation is led by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development with collaboration from other government agencies and civil society.

“The country’s first NAP was adopted in 2013 and implemented from 2013-2017. However, gaps were identified, including emerging issues like violent extremism and post-conflict reintegration. To address these gaps and adopt a broader framing, Second-Generation Action Plan was adopted in 2017 (2017-2020).”

On the overview of Nigeria NAP on WPS, she said, “The Nigeria NAP on WPS has five priority pillars that guide its implementation. The first priority is preventing conflict and all forms of violence against women. This involves efforts to prevent conflict, disaster preparedness, and measures to prevent violence against women and girls, including sexual and gender-based violence.

“The second priority focuses on increasing women’s participation and representation in peacebuilding and decision-making processes at all stages of peace and security processes. The third priority is protecting and promoting women’s rights in conflict and post-conflict situations.

“This priority aims to ensure women’s rights are protected during conflict and included in post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

“The fourth priority focuses on ensuring that relief and recovery services are gender-responsive, with women’s needs considered in efforts to provide healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.

“The final priority is partnerships, capacity building and institutional development, aimed at strengthening the capacity of relevant government agencies, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to implement the NAP effectively.

“These priorities guide Nigeria’s efforts to promote women’s participation in peace and security, creating a more peaceful and secure society for all.”

She noted that since its adoption, there has been some progress in implementing the NAP on Women, Peace, and Security.

“For instance, it has led to the establishment of institutional structures, such as the multi-sectoral national steering Committee on Women, Peace and Security, which coordinates the implementation of the NAP across government ministries and agencies.

“The Nigerian government has also adopted policies and legal frameworks to address sexual and gender-based violence, including the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law- domesticated in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Kano, Kaduna, and Zamfara states are yet to pass the legislative bill for domestication -the National Gender Policy and the National Security Strategy.

“These policies and frameworks provide a basis for addressing women and girls’ specific needs and concerns in conflict-affected communities.

“Over the years, the Nigerian government has made some efforts to increase women’s participation in peace and security, including appointing women to key positions in the security sector, such as establishing women’s corps in the army and the women of war for the Air force.

“The Nigerian Navy has equally deployed women as sailors and in other key positions. In addition to the establishment of gender desks within the military and other paramilitary agencies, the Nigerian Armed Forces and Police are making efforts to promote gender equality and empower women by establishing gender policies.

“The policies aim to eradicate gender-based discrimination and violence, offer equal opportunities, and encourage women’s participation in leadership roles.

“The Nigerian Armed Forces introduced its gender policy in 2021, while that of the Nigerian Police Force was launched in 2010.

“However, despite these efforts, improving female representation in peacebuilding and closing gender gaps is challenged by a number of issues.

“First, Nigeria is very good at adopting and enacting policies and often fails to follow through with the necessary actions, resources, and sustained effort required to achieve the desired outcomes.

“The Nigerian National Security Council’s (NCS) deeply male-dominated nature indicates this broader trend. As a forum that advises the President on national and public security matters, the NSC plays a vital role in shaping policies and actions related to security.

“The absence of women’s perspectives led to the perpetuation of gender stereotypes and biases, undermining the effectiveness of security policies and actions.”