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Foundation seeks non-violent approaches to conflict resolution

Published

5 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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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

4 days ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.

The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.

Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.

According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.

“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.

“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”

The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.

Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.

“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.

Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.

Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.

He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.

Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.

He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.

To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.

In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization

Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.

Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.

“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.

In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee

is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.

The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

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