The former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retired) Thursday called on the officials of the Nigerian military to remove all the historical barriers and biases limiting women participation in the military.
General Abubakar made the call in Abuja while speaking at the 2024 Defence Headquarters’ Annual Gender Conference
He said Nigerian military’s efficiency depends on the full participation of all its members regardless of gender.
“We recognise that their contributions are not limited to the additional gender roles, but extend to leadership positions, strategic decision-making and operational excellence.
“Our goal is to create a military that reflects the diversity of our nations where every officer that is serving has an equal opportunity to serve and contribute regardless of gender.
“We must work together to address the barriers and biases that have historically limited women’s participation.
“I urge you all to embrace this vision to champion the women’s peace and security agenda and to ensure that our military is a vehicle of inclusivity and excellence,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Defence Mr Mohammed Badaru Abubakar said Nigeria has surpassed the United Nations’ 15 per cent female participation in peacekeeping by 2028 with current realisation of 22 per cent.
Represented by his Technical Assistant, Major General Ahmed Jibrin (retired), the minister said “gender equality is not just a policy, but a living, breathing and continuously evolving reality within our defence sector.”
The minister called on the “armed forces to be at their best when they reflect the diverse society they protect by integrating gender perspectives into our policies, operations and strategies.”
He stressed the need for the armed forces t set “increased equipment targets for women to achieve 30% bigger representation across all the military services, establish specialised training programmes and providing equal opportunities for women in all military occupational specialties as well as including combat roles for the women in the military career.”
He said there was the need for the inclusion of military women in the decision-making process and strategic planning.
The mivister also called for the creation of mentorship programmes for military-obsessed girls and the integration of gender-sensitive models into military training and curricula.
