Insecurity: NGF launches peace, security initiative to tackle conflicts, violence

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has launched a Peace and Inclusive Security Initiative (PISI) to tackle insecurity, conflicts and violence in the country.

While launching the initiative recently in Abuja, Chairman of NGF, Kayode Fayemi said time had come for a consensual action on security governance in Nigeria.

Fayemi, who is also the governor of Ekiti State, said the launch of PISI heralded an important milestone for NGF as it seeks to build a more inclusive and collaborative platform to drive an urgent country-wide response to the security challenge Nigeria was facing.

The NGF chairman stressed that the security crisis had been attributed to several factors, including an oversized population and proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.

He said state governments were committed to the ideals of the initiative, adding that many had already begun different levels of collaborative arrangements on these concerns.

According to him, “One of the key areas where there is urgent need for consensual action today is security governance, given the escalation in the spate of violence and coordinated criminal activities that have undermined government authority and waned public trust in recent times.

“The level of insecurity across parts of the country is not only eroding citizens’ safety and peoples means of livelihood; it is also threatening the expression of the rights of all Nigerians.”

According to him, “Although the Nigerian government has intensified efforts to tackle the security and near humanitarian crisis, serious underlying socio-economic issues mean that the solution to the problem requires more than a security action.

“Unexpectedly, the COVID-19 pandemic is also changing the security landscape. Existing risks have been intensified while new risks have emerged, includingrising social tensions as we saw from the ENDSARS protests.”

The NGF chairman further said that “The new reality has seen the rise of non-state actors such as the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the Western Nigeria Security Network—also known as Amotekun—in the South West and several groups in the South South region and other parts of the country.

“Ultimately, how well we respond to the security challenge depends on the level of collaboration between state and non-state actors.

“I believe this dialogue will help to significantly contribute to a country-wide response to the security challenges in the country, among other developmental issues.”

“To consolidate on the measures taken by individual state governments and regional bodies of state governors, this PISI will help establish strategic dialogues and a mechanism to stimulate collaborative responses among stakeholders on conflict and security at the Federal, state and civil society level.

“It is a positive initiative which I am confident will strengthen the governance arrangement for security in the country,” he further said.

In his remarks, a former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, stressed the need for inter-agency collaboration among security agencies to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.

Abubakar, chairman of National Peace Committee, who was represented by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, said without the collaboration, addressing the challenge would be difficult.

He said the committee was ready to work with any institution and organisation to achieve peace in Nigeria.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk said job creation was key in addressing insecurity in Nigeria.

Represented by the Senior Special Adviser to the Minister, Umar Bindu, Farouk said the ministry was keen in job creation, stressing on the need for Nigeria to also harness its potential in the space technology as well as verse education and research institutions to tackle insecurity.

Head of Legal, NGF Chijoke Chukwu, explained that the peace initiative was basically to address violence and insecurity in the country, especially at the sub national level.

There was a goodwill message from the British High Commission.

Highlights of the occasion included the inauguration of PISI Technical Committee and panel discussion on: ‘Conflict trends and efficacy of current response to conflict and insecurity in Nigeria’.