The FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has called on wives of royal fathers in the nation’s capital to be agents of change.
The minister made the call on Sunday in Abuja at an advocacy forum organised for wives of graded chiefs in the territory.
Aliyu said that the role of women in conflict resolutions could not be over emphasised, adding that women’s active engagement in ending wars and all types of violence was critical.
She observed that in every crisis situations, it was the women that stood up to reclaim the soul of that nation and actively pushed parties back to the inevitable negotiation tables or forced third-parties to bring the conflicts to an end.
Aliyu expressed concern that women’s work in community building and conflict resolution often goes unnoticed and unacknowledged, stressing that classical examples of women’s efforts towards peace-building during conflicts or wars were endless.
She, therefore, tasked the wives of traditional rulers and mothers not to forget in a hurry that major wars start with civil unrest resulting from poorly-managed social discontent.
“As Nigerians witnessed recently with the #Endsars protests, if not properly managed, widespread social discontent, whatever may be its motivation, could easily snowball into large scale desecration of law and order
“Women’s peace-making efforts are not a strange phenomena; they have been happening for decades.
“Classical examples of women’s efforts towards peace-building during conflicts or wars are endless. Women have been mobilising at the local level to effect change, including during and after civil wars.
“In fact, I can emphatically state that women’s active engagement in ending wars and all types of violence is critical.
“As mothers, let us not forget in a hurry that major wars start with civil unrest resulting from poorly-managed social discontent.
“As we witnessed recently with the #Endsars protests, if not properly managed, widespread social discontent, whatever may be its motivation, can easily snowball into large scale desecration of law and order.
“When a breakdown of law and order crosses our already fragile social and economic fault-lines, it can ravage the country,” she said.
Aliyu disclosed that as part of measures to tackle youth restiveness, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his wisdom, instructed all cabinet ministers to do everything possible within their reach to promote peaceful co-existence in local communities.
“His order became necessary because civil unrest or war can strip a whole society of its humanity.”
Earlier, Chairperson, FCT Traditional Rulers’ Wives Association, Mrs Hauwa Adamu, had stated that since the creation of the association in 2019, the forum had undertaken lots of activities with positive impacts on the vulnerable women and youths.
She pledged the preparedness of the association to work closely with the office of the minister to uplift the lives of the vulnerable residents in the nation’s capital.
