National security: Building sustainable peace through Nigeria’s national peace framework, By Chido Onumah

Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is spearheading the development of a National Framework for Non-Kinetic Approaches to Addressing Insecurity, termed the National Peace Framework. This initiative aims to fundamentally alter the nation's security paradigm, moving beyond reactive measures to proactive prevention. The framework acknowledges that while kinetic operations remain essential for confronting immediate threats, they are insufficient on their own to achieve lasting peace. "The use of force alone cannot deliver lasting peace," Ribadu stated during the inauguration of the Expert Review Team.

The framework's core premise is that sustainable security requires addressing the underlying drivers of conflict. These include poverty, social exclusion, weak access to justice, community mistrust, trauma, environmental pressures, and extremist ideologies. By focusing on these root causes, the initiative seeks to consolidate the gains made by Nigeria's Armed Forces, Police, and intelligence services. The goal is to strengthen the country's capacity to "anticipate, prevent and resolve insecurity through an inclusive non-kinetic peace architecture," as articulated by the NSA.

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The use of force alone cannot deliver lasting peace.

This approach represents a significant evolution in Nigeria's security thinking, shifting from predominantly responding to the manifestations of insecurity towards anticipating and addressing their origins. The framework recognizes that communities often perceive the initial signs of escalating conflict, highlighting the importance of empowering local actors. Traditional and religious leaders, women, and young people are seen as crucial in identifying deteriorating relationships and changes within communities that can signal impending violence.

If effectively implemented, the National Peace Framework has the potential to provide a robust architecture for national security. It seeks to foster a collaborative approach where the government retains ultimate responsibility, but communities gain greater agency, and institutions operate under a unified strategy. This collaborative model is envisioned to guide Nigeria progressively towards preventing insecurity rather than merely managing it, fostering sustainable peace across the nation.

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anticipate, prevent and resolve insecurity through an inclusive non-kinetic peace architecture.