Give women chance to negotiate with insurgents, says activist

An activist, Mrs Oyinkansola Olasanoye, on Saturday suggested the inclusion of women leaders in facilitating a negotiated dialogue with the insurgents holding out in Nigeria’s northeast.

Olasanoye, who is also the President of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

According to her, when women are involved in negotiation and mediation, they put in unique intelligence to ensure that such reconciliation succeeds.

She noted that women were humbler in handling delicate issues such as the insurgency, saying that time had come for women to be given a chance to participate in resolving the conflict.

Nigeria has been contending with a high-scale insurgency that has taken thousands of lives and displaced millions of residents in the northeast since 2009.

The activist pointed out that women had been at the receiving end of the insurgency, stressing that women should be involved in resolving the problem.

“Women and children are mostly affected in the terrorist attacks. Anything that will not bring peace in any nation, it is usually women and the girl-child that suffer most.

“Women are raped and kidnapped during unrest and some end up as widows. If women are given more power during negotiation with terrorists groups in security decision, it will reduce the problem,” Olasanoye said.

Commenting on the International Women’s Day, marked on March 8, she advised Nigerian women to vote for leaders who would implement policies that would promote their cause.

The labour leader said it was regrettable that the 30 per cent political positions reserved for women was not honoured, urging women to stand up for their rights.

On corruption, she said that government was doing its best, noting however, that the challenge was that those making the laws were the same people accused of being corrupt.

“What this means is that the law will always be in favour of those accused of being corrupt.

“There must be collaboration between the parliament and the judiciary, to tackle the problem.”

Olasanoye told Nigerians to stand up against corrupt practices and do the right thing to rid the nation of the social malaise holding it down. (NAN)