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Foundation seeks non-violent approaches to conflict resolution

Published

3 years ago

November 10, 2021

The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Nigeria, has called for continuous engagement of community members to embrace dialogue and non-violent approach to resolve potential issues capable of igniting violence.

Its Country Director, Rev. Joseph Hayab, said this at the sidelines of the 2021 Peace and Development summit, organised by the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development Studies, at the University of Abuja on Wednesday.

He noted that for Nigeria to attain sustainable peace and development, it ought to strengthen the capacity of the people in local communities to promote a culture of peace through capacity-building, workshops and sensitisation.

This, he noted, would help in building consensus and bond of friendship towards genuine reconciliation that will ensure unity in diversity, reduce tension and tribal conflicts.

“Nigeria ought to engage diverse community members to embrace dialogue and another nonviolent approach to resolving potential issues capable of igniting violence.

“We must encourage the formation of Community Peace and Reconciliation Committees as community structures at the community level,’’ he said.

According to him, insecurity challenges in Nigeria have been in existence for many decades, resulting in colossal loss of lives and properties, polarising communities, and destroying moral values.

He said the insecurity challenges ravaging the nation were multifaceted, ranging from ethnic, economic, ideological, religious, and political conflicts, depending on the context at hand.

““We” versus “Them” syndrome has been a serious challenge to this nation and could be attributed to being the root cause of most of the problems.

“It is the major driver, giving birth to the trio: banditry and kidnapping in the North-West, insurgency (Boko Haram) in the North East, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and Militant groups in the South East and South-South respectively.

“ However, most of the conflicts started as economic, social, or political, but ended up with religious connotations, to cap it all, Nigerians will not experience peace until identity-based conflicts are addressed,’’ h added.

Hayab said the youth, often, accused of being in the forefront of committing evils or perpetrating violence in society, have to be actively involved and strengthened to desist from committing mayhem in the society.

According to him, women as major stakeholders in peace building, must be encouraged and supported to play their role in inculcating discipline to their children.

He said this will help in changing the mindset of the youth who are into illicit activities and breeding a new set of a generation that result in achieving a serene environment.

The country director noted the need for political elites to involve youth in decision-making processes and give them the needed support and mentorship for addressing restiveness, militancy, and cultism in Nigeria.

He said relevant civil society organisations and academia ought to intensify efforts and have a platform to share best practices and learning towards mitigating at the community level.

Hayab added that peace building activities should be community-based for taking ownership and sustainability.

“Conflicts and mediation practitioners should adhere to the “Do No Harm” principle in their outreach for effective conflict resolution strategy,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that GPF had launched the One Family Under God Peace building campaign in Nigeria, engaging people of diverse ethno-religious backgrounds in volatile communities.

NAN

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How Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso Repositioning the Raw Materials Sector For Economic Diversification

Published

4 days ago

September 3, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

As we embark on a journey, we always pray for an able, experienced, and courageous driver, pilot, or sailor depending on the means of transportation.

This is because the captain will have enough experience and boldness to navigate out of turbulence and to bring all the passengers and crew to the intended destination.

Interestingly, these fine qualities of ability, experience, boldness, and many more, abound in the man, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, who we all are pleased was appointed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, the Director General/CEO by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago.

This is because he has brought his knowledge, ability, experience, and doggedness to bear in carrying out his assignment in charge of the Council.

The RMRDC, operating under the Federal

The Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is pivotal in driving Nigeria’s industrial growth by optimizing local raw materials exploitation, development, and utilization. RMRDC, ab initio, was conceived as a child of necessity when Nigeria was reeling from the throes of global recession and plummeting crude oil prices.

Without an iota of doubt, today, the council is experiencing a transformation with massive innovation in raw material exploitation, development, and utilization, supporting business and industrial growth, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Speaking this during a press briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja to commemorate his 100 days in office said the council is laying a solid foundation through numerous innovations that will further enhance growth in the country.

According to him, in the past 100 days, my strategic pursuits have been to lay solid foundations for enduring success in these goals.

“Upon assuming this position, I set five crucial deliverables which include, refocusing the Council as a premier research institution; Strengthening the Council’s productivity and operational efficiency; Significantly improving the staff welfare to be the best in the class of similar organizations;

“Others include, Boosting the Council’s visibility and instituting remarkable culture change that encourages ownership and productivity as well as Strengthening and deepening the Council’s place in the international arena.”

While speaking on his Achievements so far, the DG revealed: “My first task, therefore, was to implement a strategic goal-setting for the Council’s staff to define and set out clear objectives and targets to be achieved by the Council within a specified period towards refocusing on this historical mandate. We unleashed five significant initiatives in that regard.

“The nationwide raw material data collection exercise that focused on technical and investment information. erships to drive our mission forward.

“The restructuring and renaming of the former Technology Innovation Complex (TIC) at the Obasanjo Space Center at Airport Road, Abuja, to a Research and Demonstration Plants Complex (RDPC). This complex will be Africa’s first center of excellence in raw material research, featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, technology development workshops, and proof of concept demonstrations.

“We have reactivated the Council’s Journal and repositioned it internationally. The repositioned Journal of Raw Material Research [JORMAR] will host RMRDC’s researchers’ publications, which are crucial in promoting awareness, facilitating knowledge sharing, and informing stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’s raw materials sector.

“The collaboration with universities and academies will strengthen our capacity for conducting market-guided research, ensuring sustained workforce training while deepening our orientation in science.

The council has reformulated a new template for all our research proposals to ensure and sustain a clear departure from the old culture of blue-sky and deliberately endless research.

Speaking further, Prof Nwanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso stated that Staff welfare remains a top priority as an issue of unpaid salaries is settled as well as set up a comprehensive welfare program.

“Similarly, we established the RMRDC Training School to sustainably build our staff and stakeholders’ capacity to further the staff welfare improvement goal.

“We are committed to openness, inclusiveness, and performance management and have initiated steps to continuously improve staff ownership, orchestrate transformative culture change, boost our corporate visibility, and enhance

“To further strengthen our visibility and communication strategies, we are upgrading our media infrastructure, which includes the launch of the RMRDC online media platform, The RMRDC TV Online.

“Additionally, we are working hard to effectively enhance the intellectual property and patent portfolio of RMRDC from its current 40 to approximately 200 new patents within the next 24 months. This proactive approach secures valuable IP assets and positions the Council as a leader in innovation within the raw materials sector, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.

“As well as launching an e-registration and certification portal to enhance transparency in the raw materials sector,” DG revealed.

He however reaffirmed his commitment to reshape the future of research, technology, and innovation, driving Nigeria towards an industrially vibrant and technologically resilient economy.

“As I mark 100 days in office, I boldly say that the Council is on the verge of rewriting its history.

“I believe that in no distant future, RMRDC will play a leading role in enhancing raw materials’ development to boost raw materials’ industrial trial processing and attain sustainable industrial growth in Nigeria.

DG, however, applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for his unwavering support and mentorship, saying the Minister’s leadership has been instrumental in the progress made so far.

In his opening remarks, the Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chucks Ngaha commended the hard-working DG who has weathered the storm further to put the Council on the ladder of more prosperity.

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