The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commenced capacity building for community and religious actors in Plateau, Katsina, Benue and Kaduna states to enhance trust and synergy with security agencies for timely conflict prevention.
Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, disclosed this in Kaduna while interacting with journalists on the activation of the National Conflict Response System of the ministry.
Dr. Ochogwu explained that the institute serves as a research and policy institution focused on conflict prevention in Nigeria and other African countries. According to him, the institute provides policy advisory services, undertakes direct interventions and carries out advocacy programmes aimed at fostering peaceful coexistence.
He added that the institute also conducts targeted research designed to reduce violence in local communities while promoting peaceful environments for citizens across Nigeria and the African continent.
The Director General said a major objective of the training is to equip participants with the capacity to identify early warning signs of conflicts that could escalate into violence within their communities.
He explained that the training would also enable community actors to respond appropriately to minor disputes and, where necessary, build confidence to promptly report serious threats to relevant security agencies as well as the national headquarters of the institute.
Dr. Ochogwu noted that the initiative is part of efforts to activate the National Conflict Response System while ensuring that community-level actors are fully involved in the conflict prevention framework.
He observed that weaknesses in the local governance system, as well as the declining role of traditional institutions that are expected to manage community disputes, have contributed to the escalation of conflicts in some parts of the country.
According to him, the programme is currently targeting the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones due to the frequent occurrence of violent conflicts in states such as Benue and Plateau in the North-Central, and Kaduna and Katsina in the North-West.
Dr. Ochogwu further revealed that about 180 participants had already been trained in the states, expressing optimism that with the support and commitment of state governments, the number could increase to about 500 trainees across the affected states to strengthen grassroots conflict prevention efforts.
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