Abuja: Dr Anisah Ari, Associate Professor at the University of Florida, emphasizes the importance of women’s courage and grassroots leadership in sustaining peace within Nigeria’s conflict-affected communities.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ari highlighted her insights in a paper titled ‘Reclaiming Peace Through Truth Appeal: The Imperative of Tough Conversations in Nigeria’s Fragile Landscape’. She shared her observations on widespread issues such as banditry, abductions, armed robbery, and killings, which are destabilizing communities and exposing the country’s fractured national identity and security challenges.
Ari argued for a transition from reactive security measures to proactive dialogue, asserting that peace must be nurtured through truth and sustained civic engagement. Her doctoral research, ‘Emerging Leadership Practices in Extremity’, revealed how women in Plateau State assumed peacebuilding roles when traditional institutions failed to respond effectively.
She explained that women in Plateau redefined peace as an ongoing process requiring daily commitment and active participation from all community stakeholders. Their relational and inclusive leadership approach played a critical role in rebuilding trust and restoring communal harmony in violence-stricken regions.
Ari’s findings suggest that these women’s experiences offer a practical, replicable model for national peacebuilding, especially as Nigeria contends with rising insecurity and social divisions. She urged policymakers, peacebuilding experts, and civil society groups to incorporate these women-led initiatives into national peace and security strategies.
She concluded by stating that women’s involvement in peacebuilding is essential for achieving long-term stability, cohesion, and justice across Nigeria’s multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Ari stressed the necessity of embracing dialogue as foundational to unity, warning that silence has come at a high cost and that future generations deserve a just and inclusive nation.