A revered traditional ruler in Delta State and the Omu of Anioma/Okpanam, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, has called for the inclusion of women in peace and security issues as that is the only way to secure peace in Nigeria.
The Omu stated this when members of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Nigeria led by the national coordimator, Chief Bridget Osakwe, paid her an advocacy visit in her palace at Okpanam. She said no nation can grow without women.
The traditional ruler took time to trace the historical development of the queen mother (Omuship) system, an integral governance system for women and the spiritual wellness in the Anioma culture, which recognoses women as an integral part of the society.
According to her, “Omuship started 822 years ago. But when I became Omu 20 years ago, we were just five in number and I was the youngest.
“Our forefathers who established the Omuship gave spiritual guidance to the Omu who were given shrines. As such, the Omu was not expected to have a husband. If she had a husband, she would have to relinquish the marriage. My work is 70 per cent spiritual.
“Our forefathers saw women as complementary and not competition. They placed a curse over 800 years ago that anyone that removed the Omu system will not progress”.
The Omu Anioma said men oppress women in this contemporary times, noting that if the men do not want any woman to function, she cannot function. She noted that in the days of old, the forefathers respected women.
She commended WANEP Nigeria for its role in reducing the fears of women in the society through capacity building, thereby making women to have a voice on issues that concern them.
The Omu said women are afraid because they are not empowered educationally, socially, and financially. According to her, “there’s need to build up the women, which WANEP Nigeria is already doing”.
“Women indeed hold the key to peace and security”, she said.
Earlier, the national coordinator of WANEP, Nigeria, Chief Bridget Osakew had said the network will always run to the Omu as a role model. She said the purpose for the advocacy visit was to seek solution to the problem of peace and security in Nigeria.
“You are the first traditional leader we’ve visited. Our plan is to present the findings from our monarchs to the appropriate stakeholders. WANEP has been in the forefront in ensuring that the voices of women are heard on issues concerning peace and security in Nigeria.
“The establishment of the network has been a response to the growing pathologic civil-based violence and war in West Africa caused by mismanaged socio-political structures and systems.
“WANEP`s niche is built on its ability to facilitate a platform for concerted structural and social reforms amongst societies in the West African sub-region. It works towards achieving this through streamlined thematic programs.
“The thematic areas include: the Women in Peacebuilding, Non-Violence and Peace Education, Research and Documentation, Democracy and Good Governance, and the Early Warning and Early Response”, she said.
