Month: July 2024

United States Institute for Peace (USIP) has unveiled research on peace-building tagged,’Policy Levers for Peace: Sub-National and Local Peace building Mechanisms in Nigeria,’ to stem conflicts in Nigeria.

Dr Chris Kwaja, Country Director of USIP in Nigeria, at the unveiling and dissemination of the research publication in Abuja, said the project was in collaboration with the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN-WA).

Kwaja said the research examined the prevalence of violent conflicts and the emergence of peace-building actors and institutions.

This involved peace-builders at the state and local government levels, as well as in Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Katsina ,Osun and Plateau states.

‘ USIP, partnered with CORN-WA to undertake research, focused on understanding the policies and the mechanisms of how state and non-state actors have responded to peace issues or conflict.

‘This is by inquiring about the kinds of policies in place and how they resonate with the people.

‘The report showed that at
the national level, for instance, we have the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution but at the state level, only Kaduna and Plateau have peace institutions out of the 36 states.

‘Inspite of that, the Kaduna and Plateau state institutions function in a way that is appreciable working to connect with communities in advancing peace and building trust”, he said.

According to Kwaja, peace-building in Nigeria faces numerous challenges, including lack of resources, political interference, poor coordination, weak state support and limited participation of women and youths.

He said the research therefore recommended the activation and strengthening of early warning and response capabilities of states and communities to respond proactively to caution signs of conflicts.

See also Kano anti-graft agency arrests suspect over N2.3bn land scam

Others include calls for domestication of the Youth Peace and Security (YPS), and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into state policies, to ensure inclusivity in peace
and security decision-making.

Kwaja said the research recommended reform of security institutions to include and reflect the roles of women, creating a more inclusive security framework.

‘Local actors are very critical to the design of peace building, programming, however, funding for this community level peace actors is the key oxygen for driving the kind of change required.

‘The absence of all these creates conditions where communities have to resort to self-help by deploying weapons under the guise of protecting themselves from insecurity,” he said

Kwaja said the study urged donors and development partners to provide technical and financial support for developing inclusive peace-building action plans and foster coordination between government and the civil society.

He said the research tasked the Federal Government on developing a national peace policy that integrates efforts at the federal ,state and local levels, ensuring all polices are conflict-sensitive.

He said that state and local governments
were encouraged to establish or strengthen peace-building agencies and adopt localised peace-building models to improve grassroots operations.

The Operations Officer Nigeria, USIP, Thomas Adamu-Edor, said the research examined the gaps and roles of non-state actors in formal and informal peace processes in Nigeria.

This, according to Adamu-Edor, includes the work and impact of state and or community peace-building institutions in conflict transformation.

He said by strengthening the pillars of peace institutions and implementing the targeted recommendations, Nigeria would enhance her peace-building mechanisms and achieve more sustainable and lasting peace.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

United States Institute for Peace (USIP) has unveiled research on peace-building tagged,’Policy Levers for Peace: Sub-National and Local Peace building Mechanisms in Nigeria,’ to stem conflicts in Nigeria.

Dr Chris Kwaja, Country Director of USIP in Nigeria, at the unveiling and dissemination of the research publication in Abuja, said the project was in collaboration with the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN-WA).

Kwaja said the research examined the prevalence of violent conflicts and the emergence of peace-building actors and institutions.

This involved peace-builders at the state and local government levels, as well as in Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Katsina ,Osun and Plateau states.

‘ USIP, partnered with CORN-WA to undertake research, focused on understanding the policies and the mechanisms of how state and non-state actors have responded to peace issues or conflict.

‘This is by inquiring about the kinds of policies in place and how they resonate with the people.

‘The report showed that at
the national level, for instance, we have the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution but at the state level, only Kaduna and Plateau have peace institutions out of the 36 states.

‘Inspite of that, the Kaduna and Plateau state institutions function in a way that is appreciable working to connect with communities in advancing peace and building trust”, he said.

According to Kwaja, peace-building in Nigeria faces numerous challenges, including lack of resources, political interference, poor coordination, weak state support and limited participation of women and youths.

He said the research therefore recommended the activation and strengthening of early warning and response capabilities of states and communities to respond proactively to caution signs of conflicts.

See also Kano anti-graft agency arrests suspect over N2.3bn land scam

Others include calls for domestication of the Youth Peace and Security (YPS), and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into state policies, to ensure inclusivity in peace
and security decision-making.

Kwaja said the research recommended reform of security institutions to include and reflect the roles of women, creating a more inclusive security framework.

‘Local actors are very critical to the design of peace building, programming, however, funding for this community level peace actors is the key oxygen for driving the kind of change required.

‘The absence of all these creates conditions where communities have to resort to self-help by deploying weapons under the guise of protecting themselves from insecurity,” he said

Kwaja said the study urged donors and development partners to provide technical and financial support for developing inclusive peace-building action plans and foster coordination between government and the civil society.

He said the research tasked the Federal Government on developing a national peace policy that integrates efforts at the federal ,state and local levels, ensuring all polices are conflict-sensitive.

He said that state and local governments
were encouraged to establish or strengthen peace-building agencies and adopt localised peace-building models to improve grassroots operations.

The Operations Officer Nigeria, USIP, Thomas Adamu-Edor, said the research examined the gaps and roles of non-state actors in formal and informal peace processes in Nigeria.

This, according to Adamu-Edor, includes the work and impact of state and or community peace-building institutions in conflict transformation.

He said by strengthening the pillars of peace institutions and implementing the targeted recommendations, Nigeria would enhance her peace-building mechanisms and achieve more sustainable and lasting peace.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Saleh Abubakar, the new Director-General (D-G) of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), has promised to combat desertification to ensure sustainable development of dry lands in the country.

Abubakar made the promise in his interaction with journalists, after he assumed office in Abuja on Wednesday.

The new D-G also promised to achieve the mandate of the Agency fully and attend to staff welfare promptly.

Abubakar commended Dr Yusuf Bukar, the outgoing D-G for his professionalism in restoring degraded lands.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar’s assumption of office on Monday followed his recent appointment by President, Bola Tinubu, on July 13.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Saleh Abubakar, the new Director-General (D-G) of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), has promised to combat desertification to ensure sustainable development of dry lands in the country.

Abubakar made the promise in his interaction with journalists, after he assumed office in Abuja on Wednesday.

The new D-G also promised to achieve the mandate of the Agency fully and attend to staff welfare promptly.

Abubakar commended Dr Yusuf Bukar, the outgoing D-G for his professionalism in restoring degraded lands.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar’s assumption of office on Monday followed his recent appointment by President, Bola Tinubu, on July 13.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Consolidated Alliance for Grassroots Mobilisation (CAGraM), has launched a smart card to mobilise and track votes and curtail election rigging in the country.

Mr Nwosu Emmanuel, Executive Secretary of CAGraM, said this in Abuja at the unveiling, data capturing and issuance of membership smart cards to leaders on Thursday in Abuja.

‘Our target is to have between three to five million members on this platform by 2026, and by 2031, we will hit the target of 30 million, and with this, we will deliver the next president in 2031.

‘This is a project that will never stop; it will expand across the country. What we have done today is to unveil the smartcard.

‘We are going to deploy this throughout the state and the data capturing will take place at the state level down to the local governments,’ he said.

He said that the group was only complimenting the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC), and not taking over its role.

Emmanuel said that the initiative would help mobilise the people at the grass
roots across the country.

He said that a situation where some sell their votes was unacceptable, adding that they were unaware of the damages they do to themselves.

He said that the smart card would also enable people at the grassroots to have access to democratic dividends, by being able to meet their representatives and place their demands.

‘We want to challenge INEC by saying that the day integrity comes to our electoral process, the political class will be unbearable to the masses.

See also Arewa Community endorses Sanwo-Olu’s 2nd term bid

‘With CAGraM smart cards, the voice of the grassroots will now be heard loud and clear, and their votes will count at all elections,’ he said.

Also speaking, Mr. Silas Agara, the Director -General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), commended the group for leveraging technology to change the electoral process.

He was represented by Mr. Edmond Onwuriri, Director of Planning Research and Statistics at NDE.

‘We are glad that Nigeria is leveraging techn
ology to deal with our problems. We believe this will not be open to abuse, as those losing elections will not feel manipulated,`he said.

He said that the move would help deepen democracy as people would now regain confidence in the electoral process, as opposed to what was obtainable in the past years.

Mr. Yusuf Dantalle, Chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said the country had faced numerous challenges in an attempt to conduct free, fair, transparent and credible elections since 1960.

‘In particular, are the past years of uninterrupted democracy. It is important to note the number of registered voters and turnouts in presidential elections from 1979 to 2023.

This, according to him, would underscore the urgent need for the mobilisation of eligible voters for elections in the country.

He said that the statistics showed a downward trend in voter turnout, particularly from the 2007 to 2023 presidential elections, adding that voter turnout in recent years has been glaring.

‘In view of this, IPAC
welcomes this innovation in grassroots voter mobilisation using smart cards and technology.

See also APC: Gov. Alia tasks Ganduje on national, party unity

‘We hope that the security of the personal data provided would be guaranteed as members’ voting patterns would be extracted from their permanent voter card linked to the device,’he said.

This, according to him, is because the electoral laws provide for the confidentiality of citizens’s votes cast.

CAGraM is a political group focused on political and social emancipation of rural dwellers across the country, set to reinvent grassroots mobilisation through technology.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, says the permanent site of the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) project in Abuja will be completed within 48 weeks.

Keyamo disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the ground breaking of AAAU permanent site and the institution’s maiden matriculation ceremony for the 2023/2024 academy session.

According to him, the university intends to explore the possibility of partnering with the private sector for the development of hostels, clinic, conference centre and hotel due to its proximity to the airport.

‘We are here today with the support of President Bola Tinubu, who approved a take-off grant for AAAU to complement the budget provision made available for the university’s development in the 2024 appropriation.

‘We are confident that these projects will be completed within 48 weeks, thanks to TETFund for making the grant 100 per cent available and accessible.

‘The University currently operates from a temporary campus prov
ided by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB),’ he said.

Keyamo said that the assistance rendered by NSIB was an interagency support to AAAU.

The minister said the current place, which was designated as the permanent site, was strategically located and fit for the intended purpose.

‘Structures to be completed in the first phase of development for the university include the faculty of aviation management building, the postgraduate school building, 250-capacity auditorium, 350-capacity auditorium and research centre.

‘Others include the Synoptic laboratory for meteorology, multipurpose laboratory, Initial fencing covering 2 km, and two ceremonial gatehouses, ‘ he said.

See also FEMA takes early warning, disaster prevention to university, inaugurates disaster marshals

Keyamo said that the university site was strategically positioned near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to provide students with invaluable practical experience and to enhance their interaction with other aviation in
dustry agencies.

He further said that the event marked a significant milestone of the government`s efforts to bridge critical gaps in the aviation industry and address the shortage of skills training and manpower development.

‘It also signifies the commencement of our dedicated endeavour to position AAAU as the leading aviation and aerospace university in Africa, diligently committed to delivering high-quality teaching and employing innovative learning techniques.

‘This ambitious project presents a golden opportunity to establish a learning environment equipped with modern, safe, accessible, and sustainable facilities that zealously reflect the values of a pan-African university.

‘It will play a pivotal role in nurturing aviation professionals across the globe. As we gather today to embark on this new phase, I am filled with optimism as we witness transformation of this citadel of learning, ‘ he said.

Keyamo said the government had planned to establish AAAU as the foremost aviation university in Africa.

H
e said numerous challenges have been overcome, with the invaluable support of the president, to place the university on course to its rightful status.

‘It is a tale of transformation from tenant to landlord.

‘What began as an academic odyssey in 2023, utilising facilities belonging to a sister agency, has now culminated in the acquisition of approximately 200 hectres of land as a permanent site.

‘This achievement stands as a testament to our collective resilience and unwavering determination. AAAU is an institution blessed with momentum, with the obvious vibrancy and determination of the AAAU Staff,’ he said.

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According to him, the recent appointment of Alhaji Bukar Aji as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council and other Council members by the President, will certainly take the university to greater heights.

The minister expressed optimism that the council would ensure continuation of the infrastructural develo
pment to meet AAAU needs within and outside Nigeria.

‘There will be no room for shoddy and poorly done work on site. If any contractor is found wanting or cutting corners, we will not only terminate the contract but also ensure prosecution,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria