From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) has tasked the Federal Government to fully implement the National Action Plan (NAP) in order to protect the rights of women and the girl-child.
The National Network Coordinator of (WANEP) Nigeria, Mrs Bridget Osakwe, made the call during a two-day stakeholder’s Engagement and Consultation on the Development of Edo State Action Plan (ESAP) on United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 meeting held in Benin City in collaboration with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
Mrs Osakwe said Nigeria signed the resolution in New York, with the implication that the resolution must be implemented but along the line, it was discovered that there were some areas that were not captured that should be captured.
‘In August 2013, the first NAP was launched and five pillars were adopted: prevention which includes early warning and early response; participation in training women and girls as mediators, negotiators, and counsellors, etc; promotion; protection; and provision of adequate and accessible humanitarian services.
‘When Nigeria adopted the first NAP, some gaps were observed: it did not address the issue of coordination, funding, political will, and the people were viewing UNSCR 1325 as a women issue.
‘This led to the development of the second NAP. The second NAP looked into the issues of insurgency, farmer/herder crisis, inclusivity, and others.
‘The second NAP has five pillars with extension: prevention and disaster preparedness; participation and representation; prosecution and protection; crisis management; and partnership coordination and collaboration,’ she said.
While narrowing it down to the state, Osakwe said the State Action Plan (SAP) is the legal framework for implementing women, peace and security.
She reiterated that SAP provides prospects for attaining visible and sustainable peace.
Speaking on Inclusivity and Peacebuilding: Development of Edo State Action Plan on UNSCR 1325, Esike Ebruke, described peace as the absence of underline structural violence.
He said Peacebuilding which could be positive or negative, can be done before, during, and after conflict.
On his part, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Edo State chapter, Bishop Oyonude Oriname Kure said the Christian community in Edo State, is in support of WANEP activities and that the association is committed to ensuring that women play key roles in decision making and peacebuilding processes.
He called on women to be resilient and courageous in promoting their course.