The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in collaboration with its partners, has called for the urgent adoption of Nigeria’s National Peace Policy (NPP) to address rising insecurity and promote national unity.
The stakeholders stressed that implementing the policy would provide a coordinated framework for conflict prevention, peace building, and sustainable development across the country.
The stakeholders made the call during the dialogue in Abuja at the Second High-Level Expert Dialogue on the Draft National Peace Policy organised by IPCR in collaboration with the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) and Triple Peace Africa.
Speaking during the dialogue, the Director-General of the institute, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, said that “Nigeria required a coordinated and nationally-owned framework to address rising security threats across the country.”
Peace building
According to him, the proposed policy will harmonise peace building interventions across federal, state and local governments, while ensuring measurable and sustainable outcomes.
Moreover, Ochogwu said that “the draft policy was developed after years of research and consultations involving communities, traditional leaders, civil society groups, academia and government institutions across the six geopolitical zones.”
Read Also:Media Collaboration Crucial for Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Efforts – ICPC
He described the policy as a critical instrument for moving Nigeria from reactive crisis management to preventive and strategic peace building.
“The time for a unified, integrated and credible National Peace Policy is now,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director-General of OSPRE, Dr Chris Ngwodo, said Nigeria’s peace and security environment remains dynamic, uncertain and complex, requiring urgent collaboration among stakeholders.
He commended IPCR for sustaining efforts towards producing a comprehensive peace building framework for the country.
He said; “the policy should emerge from broad consultations involving government institutions, civil society Organisations and communities nationwide.”
“A truly national peace policy must be the product of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society consensus,” he said.
Ngwodo added that peace building actors in Nigeria possessed the influence, networks and resources needed to drive lasting change if properly coordinated.
Legislative support
Chairman House Committee on Peace building and Social Cohesion, Joshua Gana pledged legislative support for initiatives aimed at restoring peace and unity in the country.
Gana urged Nigerians to embrace love, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, recalling periods when communities lived harmoniously regardless of ethnic or religious differences.
He also expressed optimism that the dialogue has produced practical recommendations to support peace building efforts nationwide.
NAN