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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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Featured

NAPTIP Restates Commitment To Fighting Human Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

… decries corruption in law enforcement, weak legislation

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, has pledged the agency’s commitment to fight human trafficking.

Waziri-Azi gave the assurance during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, in Abuja.

The commitment by NAPTIP follows an investigative report by Human Angle Media exposing how many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt are inhumanely treated and exploited by their sponsors.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, decried the rising number of Nigerians who are victims of trafficking, pledging that “NAPTIP is fighting on all sides to curb human trafficking.”

Akomolafe disclosed that the agency is aware of the report of Nigerians trafficked to Egypt and has already commenced interventions to rescue them while warning citizens to be wary of “offers that are too good to be true.”

She identified weak legislation, lengthy judicial processes, and corrupt law enforcement officials as factors aiding and abetting trafficking in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world.

“Corruption is endemic and cuts across other countries of the world, and that’s why trafficking is easily perpetrated in Nigeria and around the globe. You find law enforcement officials aiding and abetting traffickers. Some of them know these traffickers from their operations either at the entry or exit point. They give them something or become too familiar with them.

“Apart from the bribery aspect, we also have officials turning a blind eye to trafficking activities, and that’s why for us at the agency (NAPTIP), we are not resting.”

According to her, the agency, from inception, secured 672 convictions, 67 in 2023, and 35 persons so far this year (2024). She added that “NAPTIP is winning the war against trafficking but still wants stiffer punishment for traffickers and the support of the judiciary in hastening cases.

“weak legislation is aiding trafficking. That’s why the agency continues pushing for amendments. Currently, NAPTIP is pushing for stiffer punishment against traffickers that will lead to confiscation of their monies and property.

“NAPTIP Director-General (Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi) is fighting on all sides against human trafficking.

“Where law enforcement officials are found complicit, NAPTIP Director-General does not take it lightly; she doesn’t compromise her anti-corruption stance even when a staff is involved,” Akomolafe stated.

According to the Editor of Southern Operations, Human Angle Media, Kabir Adejumo, many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt engage in forced labour. They are also living in fear as authorities go after illegal immigrants.

Adejumo said victims interviewed during the investigation are willing and interested in returning home, but their sponsors refuse to release their travel passports and threaten to implicate them.

He also revealed that the NAPTIP and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) are aware of the plight of Nigerians trafficked in Egypt and have currently rescued one person.

On her part, the Programme Manager of the Human Angle Foundation, Angela Umoro-David, expressed satisfaction at NAPTIP’s response to trafficking cases while urging the agency to stay on course with their mandate.

Umoro-David called on Nigerians to use a Freedom of Information platform (foi.humananglemedia.com) to help citizens navigate requests for public records from different government parastatals and agencies.

She stressed that the platform “is a website where people can submit their FOI requests to us (Human Angle), and we’ll submit it on their behalf to the particular agency. So we act as middlemen, connecting these government parastatals to the citizens”.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation

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