Traditional Rulers Join Forces With UN Women, FCTA To Tackle Gender-Based Violence
By SANI BATURE
TRADITIONAL rulers across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are partnering with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and UN Women to end gender-based violence (GBV) and promote safer communities for women and girls. The alliance, supported by the Ford Foundation, was unveiled at a high-level sensitisation workshop in Abuja, bringing together royal fathers, policymakers, and community influencers.
UN Women’s Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, described GBV as not only a moral and social issue but also an economic one, noting that it costs countries up to 2% of their GDP. She stressed that harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation deny girls education and opportunities, deepening cycles of poverty and inequality.
“Traditional rulers are moral compasses and agents of transformation,” Eyong said. “Their voices can turn culture into a force for protection and equality.”
FCT Women Affairs Secretary, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, called the workshop a “movement of conscience,” urging traditional leaders to champion zero-tolerance zones for GBV across their chiefdoms.
Mandate Secretary of the Area Council Services Secretariat, Hon. Bitrus Garki, praised the rulers’ engagement, while traditional leaders, including the Gomo of Kuje and the Chairman of Kwali Council of Chiefs, pledged to uphold justice and strengthen community response systems against GBV.
The initiative reinforces UN Women’s broader efforts to promote gender equality, support survivors, and mobilise communities to end violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
