Following the prevailing gender inequality in the
military, wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, on Thursday called for the
eradication of gender bias in the armed forces.
Mrs. Buhari, who spoke at the Defence Headquarters’
Maiden Annual Conference on Women, Peace and Security with the theme: ‘Gender
Mainstreaming in the Armed Forces of Nigeria for Peace and Security’, said
gender discrimination has prevented female members of the military from
effective deployment in military operations and career progression, including
occupying strategic positions in the military.
But the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General
Gabriel Olonisakin, maintained that the military had taken definitive steps to guarantee
gender equality by ensuring that female members of the armed forces aspire to
the peak of their careers.
So far, no senior female officer has held the
position of a commanding officer or service chief.
The closest rank and positions occupied by female
senior officers in the history of the three arms of the military were held by
Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu (rtd), the highest-ranking female naval officer till
date, who served as an instructor at the Armed Forces Command and Staff
College, Jaji; Commodore Jamila Malafa, who is presently the Director of the Nigerian
Navy Legal Services, and Major General Abimbola Amusu, who recently retired as
Army Medical Corps Commander.
But the first lady accused the armed forces of
hostility towards female members by
preventing them from occupying strategic positions and appointing them to key positions in the areas of logistics,
human resources, welfare among others, stating that the war against insurgency
had lingered because women were not effectively deployed.
“A good number of Nigerian women and I regard
ourselves as soldiers. This is because we are the protectors of the family.
Gender mainstreaming is a war against marginalisation of women, and we are in support
for gender equality and increased participation of women in politics including
the armed forces.
“The military is often hostile to women. The women
do not join the armed forces early due to their genetic makeup, although this
may vary on an individual basis. Women are faced with rejection, isolation and
unhealthy attitudes,” she said.
Mrs. Buhari stated that “these factors are usually
pronounced during operational combatant sections of the armed forces. This
manifests in sexist jokes and women not being taken seriously. Gender stereotype
is a threat to women advancement in the military.
“There is a good number of reported cases where
women were exempted from participating in combat duties. Women are often
restricted from handling such positions as human resources, logistics, welfare
among others with psychological implications.”
She declared that “the security issue bedevilling
our country still abound probably because we are yet to redefine the role of
women in the military for operational effectiveness. Women possess the traits
of patience and perseverance. The role of the armed forces is to provide
security for the country.
“The space for women must be created for them to
participate in the security management of the country. There should be a role
for women in strategic operational deployment; specific roles for women and as
a matter of urgency, as well as the eradication of gender bias in the military.”
She urged women to continue to show resilience in
their professional conduct and be a source of inspiration to other women.
In his remarks, Olonisakin said the military had
exceeded the 17 percent requirement for women participation in the United
Nations peace-keeping operations, noting that the military high command had
raised it to 27.9 percent.
He said the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) had
commenced the training of female cadets as combatant officers while the navy
had deployed women as sailors and for key aspects of ship maintenance.
The CDS said the Nigerian army established the
Nigerian Army Women Corps while the Nigerian Air Force established the ‘Women
of War’ in 2018 to involve women in all aspects of air operation, including
flying, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control and engineering.
When sought the opinion of a senior female
military officer on the possibility of a female becoming a service chief
someday, she said: “Am I the person that should answer that question? You want
me back to my village?”
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Defence, Major
General Bashir Magaji, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for providing
support in terms of equipment and capacity building for the armed forces, and
pledged the unalloyed loyalty of the armed forces to the president.
No comments:
Post a Comment