By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Senator representing Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Ireti Kingibe, said the inclusion of women in emergency services is a necessity.
She said the inclusion is not simply amatter of fairness, but a matter of effectiveness.
Speaking recently in Abuja, during the International Women’s Day 2026, themed: “Women in Emergency Services in Nigeria – Positives, Barriers, and the Way Forward ROSERS 9.0”.
Kingibe also disclosed the need to strengthen gender sensitive policies in institutions by ensuring that they are not only adopted but implemented and monitored.
She reiterated that global research and findings from organizations such as UN Women and the World Bank, consistently showed that gender diverse teams perform better in crisis response and demonstrate improved decision making, higher accountability, and stronger community trust.
She explained that women bring unique strength to emergency response, improved community engagement in communities, particularly vulnerable groups, which often feel safer and more willing to communicate with female responders.
She stated that enhanced operational effectiveness and gender balanced teams have been shown to reduce excessive use of force and improve conflict de-escalation.
She said “we must understand that building a safer Nigeria is a shared responsibility.
“Government must create enabling policies.
Institutions must reform their systems.
“Communities must challenge harmful stereotypes.
Families must support the ambitions of their daughters.And each of us, as individuals, must choose inclusion over bias”.
Also speaking, the Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) , Shehu Mohammed disclosed that his agency has taken immense pride in the growing number of women who have excelled in both operational and administrative capacities across various states and the federation.
Mohammed who was represented by Deputy Corps Marshal Pauline Olaye, Administration & Human Resources, Federal Road Safety Corps, noted that their contributions have significantly enhanced service delivery, strengthened public confidence, and reinforced institutional effectiveness.
“Indeed, women bring unique perspectives and critical strengths to emergency management, ranging from empathy in victim care to precision, discipline, and diligence in operational engagements”.
He added that with all this remarkable achievements, women are still confronted with persistent challenges and barriers.
He said that, “the way forward demands that we institutionalise inclusive policies, expand opportunities for capacity building, and create safe, supportive, and enabling work environments where women can thrive and realise their full potential.”
Meanwhile, Programme manager, Lifeline Care Association, Omason Imogu said that the inclusion of women in emergency response is very important, “women come with compassion and care during emergencies.
“ Women hardly get involved in fatal accidents, they drive carefully, while men fatal accidents comes in the place of overconfidence”.
