By Hutson Efosa, Abuja.
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu
The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has called on wives of royal fathers in the Federal Capital Territory to be agents of change, in their various domain.
Dr Aliyu admonished them on the role of women in conflict resolutions which she said, cannot be over emphasized. she also stressed that women’s activeness in ending chaos and all types of violence in the society at this time is critical to the nation’s capital.
The Minister, who made this known at an advocacy forum organised for wives of graded chiefs in the territory, also argued that in every crisis situations, women always stand up to play important role 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 a halt.
Dr. Aliyu, used the occasion to explain the role of women in community building and conflict resolution, saying often it goes unnoticed and unacknowledged by the public.
She stressed that classical examples of women’s efforts towards peace-building during conflicts or wars are endless.
The Minister, also charged the wives of the traditional heads in the FCT not to forget in a hurry that major wars start with civil unrest resulting from poorly-managed social discontent, noted that as Nigerians witnessed the recent #Endsars protests, if not properly managed, could easily lead to large break down of law and order in the nation’s capital.
According to the minister; “Women’s peace-making efforts are not a strange phenomenon; 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.”
Dr Aliyu went further, “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.
The Minister also stated that as part of measures to tackle youth restiveness in the nation, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his wisdom, had urged every cabinet ministers to do everything possible to promote peaceful co-existence in their local communities because civil unrest or war can strip a whole society of its humanity.
The leader of the FCT Traditional Rulers’ Wives Association, Hajiya Hauwa Kulu Adamu, stated that since the creation of the association in 2019, the forum had undertaken tremendous activities aimed at creating impact on the vulnerable women and youths in the territory.
In her statement, she pledged the preparedness of the association to work harmoniously with the office of the Minister of State, which is aimed at improving the lives of the vulnerable residents in the nation’s capital.
