FG, stakeholders to develop new national peace policy

Nigeria is embarking on the development of a new National Peace Policy, a collaborative effort between the Federal Government and key stakeholders in the peacebuilding sector. This initiative aims to strengthen conflict prevention, coordination, and resilience across the nation. The project was formally launched during a three-day technical workshop in Abuja, themed 'Building an Inclusive National Infrastructure for Peace and Resilience.'

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The proposed policy would also take into account developments that had emerged since the previous attempt to develop a National Peace Policy in 2012.

The workshop brought together a diverse group of participants, including representatives from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, legislators, state peace commissions, subnational institutions, civil society organizations, and peacebuilding practitioners. The Director-General of the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Chris Ngwodo, stated that the new policy framework is designed to align Nigeria's peacebuilding efforts with contemporary realities, learning from the previous attempt to develop such a policy in 2012.

Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), described the proposed policy as crucial for reinforcing the country's peacebuilding architecture, serving as its "normative and operational spine." The Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Maj. Gen. Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.), highlighted that the framework would promote a proactive approach to conflict management, shifting focus from reaction to anticipation and prevention.

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The policy would serve as the normative and operational spine of Nigeria’s peacebuilding architecture.

Participants agreed on the necessity of a "whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach," emphasizing the integration of federal institutions with state and local governments, peace commissions, civil society, and community-level actors. This comprehensive strategy seeks to build sustainable peace by fostering consensus and coordinated action among all stakeholders involved in peacebuilding efforts.

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The policy would provide a systematic approach to conflict prevention, involving all stakeholders and moving us from reaction after the fact toward anticipation and prevention before the fact.