Benjamins-Laniyi: Women must be part of security policy-making

Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, mandate secretary of the federal capital territory (FCT) women affairs secretariat, says women must be carried along in security policies. 

Benjamins-Laniyi spoke on Monday in Abuja at a pre-conference discourse on ‘Gender and Human Security: Focus on Women in the FCT’.

The mandate secretary said the voice of women must influence legislation and policies that address security issues, to make the process inclusive.

“It is crucial to have women represented in policy-making processes,” she said.

“Their voices must influence legislation and policies that address security issues, ensuring that these policies are inclusive and considerate of gender-specific challenges.”

She added that her secretariat is working to entrench security initiatives at the grassroots.

“While we look at this from a national and global lens, we are also committed to domesticating security initiatives across the grassroots, particularly through our young people,” she said.

“We are also focused on exploring various intersections like health, education, food, nutrition, agriculture and other cross-cutting themes that are vital to a secure and prosperous FCT.

“Today, we must recognise that the role of women in addressing insecurity goes far beyond the domestic sphere. Women bring unique perspectives and solutions that are essential to comprehensive security strategies.”

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Abdul-rasheed Na’Allah, vice-chancellor of the University of Abuja, said he is working to ensure that anyone who abuses female students in the institution is punished.

“Universities are at the centre of development anywhere in the world,” he said.

“We are the leading university, we are at the centre of this nation and we want to set an example.

“We want to eradicate this general image of the Nigerian academia that it is a place where girls are abused or suppressed.

“We felt that as a university, we need to mobilise everybody and be part of this process. So we are empowering our girls and our men by ensuring that people who do wrong by abusing girls are punished.”

The vice-chancellor said the university would soon unfurl policies against verbal and physical abuse.