The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Saad Abubakar, the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Most Rev Hassan Kukah, and other stakeholders have emphasised the crucial role of women in restoring peace in Nigeria’s insecurity-plagued North West region.
During the second edition of the Northwest Regional Conference on Women, Peace, and Security, organised by Global Rights in Abuja, the Sultan, who is the president of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), called on the British High Commission to extend its projects to more underserved communities in the region.
Represented by Alhaji Mohammed Jabbi Kilgori, he praised Global Rights for empowering women and traditional leaders to combat violence and insecurity in the region.
“The support of Global Rights has created a strong enabling environment for women in Sokoto State,” the Sultan remarked. “Their support has also helped traditional leaders become watchdogs in Early Warning Identification and Community Resilience to Extreme Violence.”
He also noted that interfaith cooperation in Sokoto had improved, with Muslims and Christians celebrating festivals, which was rare in the past. He further urged the British High Commission to expand its efforts to other districts.
Bishop Kukah, who joined the discussion via Zoom, emphasised the need for continuous peacebuilding efforts.
He criticised political and leadership classes for exploiting religious, gender, and political divisions to create rifts within communities. He also condemned the cultural subjugation of women, which manifests in early rape, forced marriages, gender-based violence, and the exclusion of women from decision-making.
“We have evil cultural practices that are now creeping back in the form of religion, especially those that are against women’s development,” Kukah said.
He also discussed the concept of resilience, explaining that it involves drawing from inner strength to navigate difficulties in a way that counters the expectations of those who seek to perpetuate violence. He called for the documentation of needless deaths and a focus on the unifying factors within communities to support peacebuilding.
“We must seek to restore dignity to one another,” Kukah added.
The executive director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu, highlighted the security crisis in Northwest Nigeria, which has worsened over the past decade. She noted that women’s voices were notably absent from peacebuilding initiatives, which hindered progress.
“The security crisis in Northwest Nigeria has grown over the past 10 years. The region has struggled to reclaim peace due to multiple forms of violence,” she stated. “At Global Rights, we recognised women as the missing link in building sustainable peace. Their absence from the table is costing us peace.”
“For the past two years, Global Rights has implemented a pilot project to enhance women’s involvement in governance and peacebuilding in the region. Phase I of the project, conducted in Zonkwa (Kaduna) and Gagi (Sokoto), was successful, leading to the expansion of Phase II to include Kano and Katsina states.
“Our project sought to address the lack of platforms for inclusive communication and the disenfranchisement of critical stakeholders, particularly women and minority groups,” Baiyewu explained. “Through this project, we’ve seen leadership participation by women, which has helped identify gender-based violence as a major barrier to peacebuilding.”
She also pointed out the problem of drug abuse among youth and the exclusion of disabled people from public discourse, both of which aggravate insecurity. However, she noted that the project’s success lies in how it has become an organic movement driven by community leaders.
Kemi Okenyodo, executive director of Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), echoed the importance of women’s inclusion in peacebuilding for long-term stability and national development.
“Women’s inclusion in peacebuilding is not just a matter of equity; it is a proven pathway to conflict resolution and long-term stability,” she said. “The efforts of Global Rights, with the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), are commendable. By amplifying women’s voices in decision-making, we are dismantling the barriers that have hindered gender-responsive peace efforts.”
Okenyodo also stressed the Northwest’s strategic importance, given its large population, agricultural potential, and geopolitical significance. The region’s stability is essential for Nigeria’s national cohesion and regional economic integration, as it plays a key role in agriculture, food security, and trade.
“The region is rich in minerals and industrial hubs like Kano and Kaduna,” she said. “The success of this project highlights the importance of sustained collaboration, and this conference provides an opportunity to build on these gains.”
This collaborative effort underlines the vital role of women in promoting peace and security in the region, proving that their inclusion is crucial for a lasting resolution to the ongoing crises in the Northwest.
The conference has representations from various stakeholders, including the Inspector General of Police, UN Women, people with disabilities, the British High Commission, and state government officials from the North West region.
