The Federal Government, through the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, OSPRE, says it is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to develop an inclusive national infrastructure for peace and resilience in Nigeria.
The Director-General of OSPRE, Chris Ngwodo, stated this in Kano during a one-day policy dialogue on “Building an Inclusive National Infrastructure for Peace and Resilience in Nigeria.”
The Kano dialogue is part of a nationwide series of consultative engagements aimed at gathering regional perspectives and incorporating them into the emerging national peace policy framework, organized by OSPRE, the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and Triple Peace Africa.
Mr Ngwodo said the initiative covers all states of the federation, local government areas and communities, with the objective of aligning existing peacebuilding efforts and providing them with stronger national support.
He explained that the Federal Government was not seeking to replace community-led initiatives, but to strengthen and provide resources for measures already developed at the grassroots.
The OSPRE Director-General said communities understand their challenges better because of their lived experiences, stressing that government’s role was to support and work collaboratively with them to address conflicts and build resilience.
He noted that the dialogue brought together representatives of local governments, communities and traditional institutions, as well as other stakeholders who would deliberate on appropriate strategies for addressing emerging security and peacebuilding challenges.
A policy expert from the Department of Political Science, University of Jos, Professor Nanji Umoh, said the policy was particularly important given the persistent insecurity and divisions along ethnic and religious lines.
Professor Umoh explained that the initiative was designed to adopt a bottom-up approach by allowing communities to articulate the challenges they face and contribute to solutions, rather than relying solely on top-down policy formulation.
In a goodwill message, the Kano State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Muhammad Hassan, described Kano as one of the most peaceful states in the country despite its large population.
He said the Corps was working with relevant stakeholders to achieve the objectives of strengthening peace, security and resilience in the state.
Also speaking, the Kano Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Shehu Abdullahi, urged participants to develop practical solutions to emerging challenges, including the erosion of family values, inadequate inclusion of women in decision-making and limited access to justice.
The dialogue attracted peacebuilding scholars and researchers, traditional and community leaders, religious leaders, civil society organisations, women and youth groups, government officials, security and justice sector, development partners and relevant stakeholders in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resilience.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
