By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt – The Nigerian Army on Thursday insisted that it does not discriminate between male and female soldiers in its internal security operations.
The army, however, said that both genders are assigned different responsibilities towards achieving its set objectives.
Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, spoke at a sensitization workshop organised for troops of the division at the division’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
The workshop organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Civil Military Affairs in collaboration with British Defence Section West Africa had the theme: Gender Mainstreaming for Enhanced Professionalism in the Nigerian Army.
Represented by Brig.-Gen. Edore Agbebaku, the division’s Signal Commander, Oluyede said the army has made it a priority to balance duties among personnel irrespective of their gender.
“To this end, the army headquarters is conducting this awareness, to enable us to understand the roles of men and women participating in various military activities.
“The army has identified working with various peers as key for successful operations in our internal security operations in conjunction with sister security agencies.
Oluyede said the military’s development of gender policy was in tandem with the Federal Government’s policy that focuses to promote gender mainstreaming and women empowerment.
“The adoption of the policy by the military will enable it to effectively compete favourably with its counterparts across the globe.
“It will also facilitate strategic collaboration and gender sensitive approach by the various security services, given the multidimensional conflicts and security challenges confronting the country.
“The policy will therefore create an enabling environment to prevent gender disparity in the military, often regarded as a profession that is exclusively preserved for men,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants were drawn from the army, navy, police and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), including resource persons from the UK’s Royal Army. (NAN)
