Niger Launches Action Plan On Women, To Check Injustice

Niger state has launched an Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (SAP-WPS), organised by the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN).

The Executive Director, Rule of Law and Empowerment of the Initiative, Mrs Kemi Okenyodo, said the move was to ensure justice and to prevent arbitrary detention beyond the duration permitted by law.

Okenyodo said, “As of today, detainees are rarely held beyond 48 hours without a court order—a testament to real behavioural change in our justice system”.

“We have deployed 14 trained lawyers across seven police divisions in Minna. These lawyers have provided legal assistance to over 700 indigent detainees, ensuring that no one is held unlawfully,” she added.

She said the launch of the Niger State Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (SAP-WPS) was intended to provide a strategic framework for institutionalising the WPS agenda across Niger State.

The Executive Director said the document for the action plan was drafted through extensive stakeholder engagement and validated by over 100 participants from the 25 local government areas

Okenyodo said the vision was for the women of the State to be included in peace and security conversations, not only to be heard but to lead, while justice would not be a privilege for the few but a right accessible to all.

Also speaking was the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Hadiza Idris Kuta, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Hajia Hadiza Shiru said the participation of women in decision-making, governance and the political sector is key, and the state governor, Mohammad Umaru Bago, has proven it by ensuring the 25 local government councils’ Vice Chairpersons were women.

According to her, with the development of the State Action Plan, the Ministry would ensure its implementation and set up a coordinating committee, as the document has become a policy that drives activities within the State.