By Joy Odor | Sokoto
In a stirring call for transformation, Abiodun Baiyewu, the Executive Director of Global Rights, has reaffirmed the indispensable power and resilience of women in driving peace and justice across conflict-torn regions of Nigeria, insisting that “true peace cannot thrive where women are silenced or sidelined.”
Speaking through Mr. Edosa Ovawie during the Women, Peace, and Security Townhall in Sokoto, Baiyewu hailed Nigerian women as the unsung pillars of resilience, those who, despite systemic barriers, continue to lead reconciliation efforts, sustain families, and rebuild fractured communities.
“Amidst challenges, women continue to stand as pillars of resilience, leading reconciliation efforts, sustaining families, and building communities,” she declared.
Baiyewu, however, lamented the deep-rooted structural and cultural obstacles that still limit women’s participation in peace and security processes, describing current engagement efforts as largely tokenistic.
“We must move beyond token inclusion,” she said. “This townhall offers a unique platform to listen, learn, and collaborate, to strengthen institutional responses, improve access to justice, and ensure women’s voices shape the policies that define our shared future.”
Her remarks set the tone for an impassioned call to action, urging policymakers, civil society, and security institutions to embed gender equity and inclusion as non-negotiable pillars of national peacebuilding.
The townhall, convened under the hashtags #WomenPeaceSecurity #AccessToJustice #InclusivePeacebuilding #SokotoTownhall #FCDOGR2025 #UKISF #GenderEquality #PeaceThroughJustice, brought together women leaders, traditional authorities, and justice advocates committed to building a fairer and more inclusive Nigeria.
In the words of Baiyewu: “Inclusion is not charity, it is justice. And justice is the foundation of lasting peace.”
As the applause echoed across the hall, one truth stood clear, without women at the center of peacebuilding, Nigeria’s search for sustainable security will remain unfinished.
