Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs Calls for Inclusive Security Governance

Oru Leonard

Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has stressed the need for inclusive security governance in Nigeria, particularly in regards to women’s participation. Speaking at the Fifth Annual Forum of the Women, Peace, and Security Sector Reference Group in Abuja, Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted the progress made in mainstreaming gender across Nigeria’s security institutions.

Despite this progress, Sulaiman-Ibrahim acknowledged that women remain underrepresented in strategic decision-making roles and face systemic barriers to career advancement. To address these challenges, she outlined five key areas for reform:

– Embedding gender policies: Integrating gender policies into security sector planning, budgeting, and operational procedures.

– *Increasing women’s representation*: Boosting women’s representation in security decision-making processes and senior command positions.

– *Strengthening gender-sensitive recruitment*: Ensuring women in security institutions have equal opportunities for leadership advancement, technical training, and strategic deployment.

– *Ensuring gender accountability*: Institutionalizing gender audits, strengthening internal reporting mechanisms, and enforcing zero-tolerance policies for sexual harassment and abuse.

– *Enhancing security frameworks*: Prioritizing gender-sensitive approaches in addressing conflict, insurgency, and violent extremism.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim’s call to action emphasizes the need for sustainable gender integration in the security sector, recognizing that policy alone is not enough – implementation is crucial. The Minister appealed to security chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, and heads of paramilitary institutions to lead the implementation of Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security.