GENDER AND SECURITY ISSUES IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF WOMEN

Abstract

Along with liberalization, commercialization, liberal democracy, and other contemporary terms for globalization, the term gender has garnered much attention in recent times. In order to draw attention to the conceptual and theoretical ambiguity surrounding the subject, this paper examined how women can contribute to national security. Using secondary data from books, journals, grey literature and supported by expert interviews, a non-random sampling technique, it collaborated the claim that women have always played significant roles in national security despite obstacles posed by culture and religion. The paper contend that because gender in Nigeria can only be understood within the pre-conflict situation paradigm, there is a gender participation gap in matters of peace and security in Nigeria. The paper also discusses the distinctive roles that women can and do play in ensuring the nation's food, economic, and political security, and it makes several recommendations, including that the government should ensure the proactive inclusion of gender equality in all planned actions, including laws, policies, and programmes in all domains and at all levels of the political, economic, and societal spheres. Adoption of specific laws addressing discrimination against women, sexual violence in armed conflict, harassment of women, intimidation of women in the workplace, laws and practices that oppress women, impunity and its effects on women, the administration of justice, including access to justice, and support for human rights mechanisms are measures that can address the gender question in Nigeria.