The Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, OSPRE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Operation Safe Corridor Nigeria. OPSC, reinforcing their mutual commitment to fostering sustainable peace and strengthening national security through non-kinetic strategies.
The MoU was signed by the Director General of OSPRE, Mr. Chris Ngwodo and the Coordinator of OPSC, Brigadier General Yusuf Ali, in Abuja.
The partnership seeks to standardise and harmonise methodologies in the management of demobilisation, disarmament, deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of irregular combatants, as well as post-conflict recovery in communities affected by conflict.
It aims to deepen collaboration, particularly in enhancing peacebuilding and security institutions through capacity development and evidence-based research.
The MoU also has its central theme hinged on promoting victim-centred principles, encompassing transitional justice, as well as restorative justice, and trauma recovery.
Collaborate with OPSC
Brigadier General Yusuf Ali said that the initiative was an holistic approach, whereby all key stakeholders collaborate with OPSC to realise the shared goals.
“We have identified OSPRE as a crucial partner in this endeavour, marking a significant advancement at Defence Headquarters (DHQ). We are hopeful that today’s signing will usher in a new chapter in our efforts to combat insecurity and foster enduring peace across Nigeria,” Brigadier General Ali said.
The Director General of OSPRE, Mr. Ngwodo expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying “we clearly recognise the areas where our organisations’ missions intersect. Over time, we have learned that it is imperative to evolve the tools we employ to address asymmetrical conflicts.”
Mr. Ngwodo conventional warfare would not be deployed in the initiative, but a different paradigm from the traditional conflicts for which the institutions were originally configured.
He said it was equally vital to develop non-kinetic instruments to tackle the unique challenges Nigeria faces.
Peace and security
Consequently, he said Operation Safe Corridor was at the forefront of the efforts and that OSPRE was eager to begin the joint work to further advance Nigeria’s peace and security.
Operation Safe Corridor Nigeria, OPSC, is the Federal Government’s flagship multi-agency initiative focused on non-kinetic operations.
It was established in 2016, with its headquarters at the Defence Headquarters.
Similarly, the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, OSPRE, also known as the National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanisms in Nigeria, was instituted in 2022 under Article 58 of the Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.
It operates from the Office of the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Lateefah Ibrahim