By Martha Nyam
International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has said that women play vital roles in promoting peace in Nigeria.
FIDA’s Chairperson in Plateau, Mrs Obioma Achilefu, stated this at a meeting on promoting women inclusion in peace-building and conflict mitigation across communities in the state, held in Kwok, Barkin Ladi.
Achilefu said that the meeting was aimed at promoting inclusion of women in peace-building and mitigating conflict in the communities that had been faced with conflicts over the years.
“We are here to promote inclusion of women in peace building and conflict mitigation across communities in Kwok, Barkin Ladi.
“These communities have been bedeviled by serious conflicts over the years. We want to include women in the peace-building process because of the vital role they play.
“Conflicts affect women and children the most and they have the power to douse tension through calming their husbands and sons who are raging with anger,” she said.
According to Achilefu, meaningful development can only be achieved if women are included in peace-building and conflict-mitigating processes.
A Youth Leader in Barkin Ladi town, Mr Sam-Pam Jerry, acknowledged women’s roles in reviving the economy of the area and dousing tensions.
Jerry said that the inclusion of women in decision-making and peace-building processes would go a long way in solving most of the community’s problems.
He listed deliberate grazing on farmlands, destruction of crops, grazing in residential areas, land encroachment, land grabbing, drug abuse and conflict over resources, among others as some of the drivers of conflicts in the area.
He said that effective communication among community members would reduce most of the violent conflicts being witnessed in the area.
Similarly, a member of the community, Mrs Amina Inusa, said that women participation in conflict prevention and resolution could improve outcomes before, during and after conflict.
Inusa, however, expressed the regret that women were often excluded from formal peace processes.
She said that the continued failure to include women in peace processes eroded their contributions and overlooked a potential strategy to respond more effectively to security threats in the country. (NAN)
