Stakeholders have called for greater inclusion of women in leadership, governance and security, stressing the need to create more opportunities for women to contribute meaningfully to national development.
The call was made on Friday in Abuja at the ITeach Africa Initiative Summit 2026, held at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the theme, “Advancing Women’s Leadership and Inclusive Governance and Security.”
In her welcoming remark, the Convener and Director-General, ITeach Africa Initiative and Empower Her for Governance Initiative, Alaibe-Elezieanya Ebimoboere, decried the persistent national insecurity.
According to her, kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, violent attacks and organised crime have impacted negatively on community residents, particularly vulnerable women.
She emphasised the need for the inclusion of women in decision-making on issues about national security as a means to fostering the early mechanisms in containing insecurity.
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), highlighted the need to advance women inclusion in governance to enhance nation-building.
Mr Musa, who was represented by the Gender Adviser in the ministry, Lt.-Col. Nneka Olimma, lauded the programme initiative, saying it was imperative for women to play a key role in tackling security challenges.
According to him, terrorism, banditry, violent extremism, kidnapping, and cybercrime, among others, require a holistic approach to ensure lasting solution.
The minister, therefore, stressed the need for women to contribute their quota to tackle complex security challenges within the country.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Esther Walson-Jack, represented by the Permanent-Secretary, Career Management Office of OHCSF, Nkiruka Jones-Nebo, said women’s participation in governance could strengthen growth.
She added that women’s participation in governance was key to creating room for more women to progress through mentorship, leadership training and creation of safe spaces in society.
She said governance institutions should move beyond celebrating few successful women and instead establish structures that would enable more women to grow in the rank and file, and even lead organisations.
Speaking as the Father of the Day, founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Dr Otive Igbuzor said Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable stability without inclusive governance and transformational leadership, warning that excluding women and other marginalised groups from decision-making poses a threat to national security.
Igbuzor said inclusive governance, transformational leadership and national security were deeply interconnected, stressing that greater participation of women was essential to building a stable, democratic and prosperous Nigeria.
Presenting a paper at the summit, Igbuzor explained that inclusion should not be viewed merely as a matter of political correctness, but as a critical requirement for Nigeria’s development and stability.
“Inclusion is a development imperative, a democratic necessity and a national security strategy,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s future stability would depend largely on its ability to reform leadership recruitment processes, strengthen institutions, deepen democracy, tackle poverty and inequality, manage diversity and increase women’s participation in governance.
Also, presenting a paper titled “Inclusion as Security: The Niger Delta Model and its Imperative for Empowering Nigerian Women,” Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe and Father of the Host, Dr Timi Alaebi explained that Nigeria’s experience in the region showed that sustainable national security requires more than military operations, but must be anchored on justice, economic opportunity and inclusion.
Alaebi argued that communities are more likely to protect systems in which they have a meaningful stake, stressing that addressing the underlying causes of insecurity is essential to achieving lasting peace and stability.
Reflecting on the Niger Delta crisis, he said what was initially treated largely as a security challenge was eventually understood as a deeper problem of development, justice and exclusion.
“The most important lesson is this, people are more likely to protect a system in which they have meaningful stake,” Alaebi said.
According to him, inclusion should no longer be viewed merely as a social policy, stressing that it has become a critical component of national security.
Furthermore, the Director-General of the Plateau State Peace Building Agency, Julie Sanda, called for greater inclusion of women and young people in peacebuilding, governance and national security, stressing that communities cannot achieve lasting peace when critical segments of the population are excluded from decision-making.
Sanda said security and peacebuilding strategies must reflect the composition and realities of the communities they are designed to protect.
She noted that while not everyone could participate in security through the use of force, individuals could contribute based on their experiences, expertise and understanding of their communities.
Meanwhile, giving a goodwill message, Ambassador Goodknows Igali applauded the orgnisers adding that Nigeria must take advantage of its young and female population to drive change.
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