Women and the maintenance of peace in Nigeria's rural communities: A study of Oshi Ekwa Leka of the Eziobodo people

Abstract

Women all over the world and in Nigeria play vital role in the maintenance and nurturing of peace in homes and in the society. Despite this, in times of conflict, women are not represented in peace negotiations and in planning and execution of post- conflict reconstruction efforts and strategies. Women's participation and strong influence in peace building and maintenance bring about an immediate agreement. The influence of their intervention processes positively correlates with a great likelihood of the agreements implemented. Peace agreement, including women in reconstruction, rehabilitation, and negotiations for peace improves the quality of agreements made and increases the likelihood that they will be carried through. This paper examines the role and place of women in the maintenance of peace in rural communities in Nigeria. The paper adopts womanism as its theoretical framework as it looks into the activities of the Oshi ekwa leka, a women's group of the Eziobodo Alachara Mgbowo of Awgu Local government Area of Enugu state, Nigeria. The study employed the survey method, where key informant interviews or in-depth interview (IDI) was used to collect qualitative data from the women leader and chairman of the community. The paper identifies the activities of the women in the maintenance of peace in their community and advocates women's inclusion in peace negotiations at round tables.