An activist, Mrs Oyinkansola Olasanoye, on Saturday suggested the inclusion of women leaders in facilitating a negotiated dialogue with the insurgents holding out in Nigeria’s northeast.

Olasanoye, who is also the President of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

According to her, when women are involved in negotiation and mediation, they put in unique intelligence to ensure that such reconciliation succeeds.

She noted that women were humbler in handling delicate issues such as the insurgency, saying that time had come for women to be given a chance to participate in resolving the conflict.

Nigeria has been contending with a high-scale insurgency that has taken thousands of lives and displaced millions of residents in the northeast since 2009.

The activist pointed out that women had been at the receiving end of the insurgency, stressing that women should be involved in resolving the problem.

“Women and children are mostly affected in the terrorist attacks. Anything that will not bring peace in any nation, it is usually women and the girl-child that suffer most.

“Women are raped and kidnapped during unrest and some end up as widows. If women are given more power during negotiation with terrorists groups in security decision, it will reduce the problem,” Olasanoye said.