ABSTRACT
Introduction Nigeria may appear an unusual choice for an assessment of the implementation of UNSCR 1325, given that it is not formally classified as a country undergoing current or past conflict of great significance. However, the size of the country arguably masks the impact of ongoing conflicts on the population. The deaths of tens of thousands of people in countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have populations of less than seven million, invariably draws more concern than a similar number of deaths would in Nigeria, which has a population of more than 150 million people. Perhaps a more important reason to focus on Nigeria in terms of implementation of UNSCR 1325 is its role as a major troop contributor to international peacekeeping efforts. Finally, since Nigeria has not served as a host nation to UN or other peacekeeping missions, it provides an interesting measure of the extent to which the implementation of UNSCR 1325 depends on the presence of international actors. This chapter examines the extent to which UNSCR 1325 is being implemented in Nigeria. In particular, it discusses the roles of three key actors, the Federal Government, the Nigerian military and civil society, and the extent to which they have adapted UNSCR 1325 in their work. In the absence of a UN mission, there is little or no external pressure for the implementation of 1325. As a result, there is a greater role for local conceptions of security and gender equality and for strategies that have been developed to address gender inequalities, especially in conflictaffected areas. The chapter examines these issues in the following four sections. Section two distils the gendered security challenges that Nigerian women face in attempting to use the security framework. Section three highlights the reality of threats to the security of women in conflict-affected situations in Nigeria. Section four examines the status of the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Nigeria in relation to the efforts of the Federal Executive and Legislature. It emphasises the role of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development; the Nigerian military; and the civil society initiatives of the Women in Peacebuilding Network in Nigeria. Section five concludes with a discussion of the gains that have been made and the challenges that persist, and explores emerging issues with regard to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Nigeria.
