Women, Peace & Security
On one Sunday morning, Madam Mary Haruna and her two daughters went to a nearby church in Jos for their weekly devotion.
Few minutes into the service, however, Haruna and her children were killed in a suicide attack on the church that left several worshippers dead.
The following day, her father-in-law travelled from Kaduna to condole with the bereaved family members but he was killed in a fatal accident on his way to Jos.
A week earlier, some people travelled from Abuja to Lagos aboard a Dana Air flight but few minutes to their landing, the aircraft tore through some buildings in the Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood of Lagos in a fatal accident that killed all the 153 persons onboard and others on the ground.
Down south in a forest in Warri, Delta, ex-Super Eagles' player Christian Obodo appears somewhat lucky, as he escaped from the snare of some kidnappers who had placed a ransom on his head.
Obodo is quite a fortunate man, as several persons, who were similarly abducted by kidnappers, were either killed, even after paying the requested ransom, or released after having some traumatic experience.
Alarming as it may sound, all these catastrophic events happened in the recent past.
The situation is now becoming dreadful, as Nigerians are daily inundated with gory reports and photographs of disasters, tales and rumours of suicide attacks, people's displacements, kidnaps and loss of lives via accidents, robberies as well as assassinations.
Apart from the dire situation, conflicts in workplaces, communities and the world around us continue to exact growing economic, political and social costs, some social scientists stress.
``Such is the reality of our time,'' Dr Haruna Mohammed, a psychologist, noted. ``Issues we once thought were alien to our country have now become part and parcel of our lives, while the citizens, particularly mothers and children, are increasingly becoming traumatised.
``The most unfortunate spinoff is that children, who read newspapers, magazines and watch these horrors on television, are gradually becoming numb,'' he added.
The situation is apparently becoming more worrisome to the government, as a traumatised citizenry can never experience a meaningful growth.
For instance, Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau, whose state is gradually becoming a flashpoint, has repeatedly lamented about the cataclysmic situation in Plateau, where people were being killed and maimed almost on a daily basis.
``It started as a child's play until it festered and became a monster,'' Mohammed said, adding: ``The activities of the Niger Delta militants some years ago were ferocious but the crisis was later resolved `amicably', although there are occasional incidents but violent acts are now perpetrated across the country.''
The psychologist is apparently referring to suicide bombings and attacks by gunmen, which are now commonplace in the northern part of the country, and kidnap cases, which are rampant in the South.
``Most Nigerians now live in fear, as anything disastrous could happen to anybody, anywhere; anyhow,'' he stressed.
As the country continues to face growing security challenges, the citizens now live in fear day in, day out, forcing many to ask certain questions:
Must fear become part of the everyday life of the people? Must women and children continue to become widows and orphans? Must men continue to single-handedly bear the burden of joint family responsibilities? Must Nigeria continue to be at the receiving end; economically and socially?
Such questions are quite apt and thought-provoking but they subtly indicate a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, some observers note.
One point is, however, strikingly clear: Tangible efforts should be made to resolve the security crisis in a pragmatic way.
While some suggest the deployment of soldiers to perceptible flashpoints and crisis-prone states, others insist that the dialogue option is more advantageous in addressing the crisis.
However, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan is offering an alternative strategy and she has enlisted the support of the wives of governors and ministers in the quest for peace.
``Women are crucial to the peace process in the country and peace could begin if women live peacefully with their spouses. Women are useful; if we were of no use, God would not have created us,'' she said at the forum of ministers' spouses.
Late last year, the First Lady also held a meeting with the wives of state governors on ways of facilitating peace in their domains.
At the forum, Jonathan intimated the governors' wives on how she became the President of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) and informed them that they would be inaugurated as ambassadors for peace in their respective states.
``My former boss, Hajiya Turai Yar'Adua, was elected as the President of the Mission in Congo 2008 and I inherited the position in 2010 as a result of the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua.
``The Mission cannot move forward without the active participation of the wives of state governors. Women are better managers of peace; I want to appeal to you to preach, talk and work for peace.
``Look at what happened at the UN House in Abuja (which was attacked by a suicide bomber); it can happen to anyone. No matter what ethnic group or religion you belong to, we are one family; we are brothers and sisters.
``I want us to go back home to the local governments, communities and homes and preach peace. Remember that Nigeria is bigger than any individual; let's live in peace and unity with one another,'' she said.
The First Lady's sentiments are quite understandable. This is because women and children remain the major casualties in the event of any disaster and the recognition of this incontrovertible fact, perhaps, propelled Jonathan to initiate peace campaigns across the country.
``Every Nigerian is important; he or she has something to contribute to the country's development. It is only by loving one another that we, as a people, can move forward and make meaningful progress,'' she said in one of the campaigns.
``The exposure of women to risks and their central position in the family aptly explain why they must always remain in the frontline of peace advocacy,'' she added.
In order to expand the frontier for the attainment of peace, all the First Ladies of African countries are expected to converge on Abuja from July 19 to July 24 to strategise on how to achieve peace and resolve conflicts on the continent.
The ladies are expected to assess existing structures, capacities and strategies for peace building and conflict resolution, with a view to proffering solutions to perceptible lapses.
This is because of the universal recognition of the fact that conflicts are bound to crop up among individuals, families, groups, communities, societies, nations and even ideologies. However, it is the ability to proffer antidotes and implement them that makes the difference, the First Ladies add.
The African First Ladies' initiative is in line with their responsibility to protect the citizens and promote nation-building efforts, as enunciated by the articles of the United Nations (UN) and ECOWAS, among other global and regional bodies.
For instance, the UN article provides for the ``Responsibility of the State'' to protect its population from mass atrocities, while the international community has the responsibility to assist states to fulfil this all-important responsibility.
``The concept of collective security and shared responsibility to protect have been at the core of ECOWAS efforts at conflict prevention, peace-building, peacekeeping and enforcement,'' said Foreign Affairs Minister Olugbenga Ashiru at a recent conference on ``Responsibility to Protect''.
A lawyer, Mr Osita Okeke, nonetheless, said that issues relating to injustice should be addressed decisively in all efforts aimed at attaining peace and resolving conflicts.
``This is because a society that is built on injustice can never stand,'' he added.
