Nigeria's Women Affairs Minister Advocates Gender in Security

At the third UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue held in Abuja, Glori Ohagwu, the Nigerian Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to integrating gender perspectives into national security frameworks. She noted that the dialogue has already yielded measurable progress in implementing the third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, which is seen as a major milestone in consolidating national efforts.

The Minister highlighted the support from the United Kingdom's Foreign Commonwealth Development Office to strengthen peace resilience programs across seven states. She disclosed that security institutions, including the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerian Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, have adopted gender policies and are monitoring frameworks alongside integrating gender training into security curricula.

Challenges in implementation, such as inconsistent political will and funding limitations, were identified, and the Minister called for sustained international partnerships with entities like the United Kingdom, UN Women, and the European Union to support Nigeria's security initiatives.