International Alert Nigeria has orgainsed a peer learning gathering for security experts, stakeholders in the Northwest and the Northeast in addressing patterns of violence, injustice, criminality and gender based violence in the North.
The Country Director, International Alert, Nigeria, Paul Nyulaku-Bemshima, while speaking to newsmen at the two-day workshop on Monday in Abuja, explained that the gathering will also examine pathways out of violence and criminality in the Northeast and Northwest.
The workshop is in collaboration with the Borno State Ministry of Information and Internal Security and Forum of Commissioners and Advisers on security of Northwest and frontline states with the support from the UK International Development through the Promoting Stability, Access to Justice and Accountability in Northwest Nigeria Project (Samun Adalchi Shi Ne Kwanciyar Hankali).
Also, a key output from the dialogue would be the development of an advocacy plan that will take forward key resolutions from the National Stability Dialogues 1 & 2. The plan would be implemented jointly by key stakeholders towards building national stability.
He said there are alot of initiatives that has happened in the Northeast in terms of managing violence , injustice and criminality and so they want the Northeast to learn from these .
He explaind that the Northeast have set up the Commisioners for Peace and Advisers Forum which help them share information and have integrated approach to dealing with insecurity in the Northwest adding that it is also something that the Northeast can also learn from .
He said the peer learning opportunity and platform is for decision makers at the sub national level to learn from each other and to come up with a joint avocacy approach for ensuring policy change both in their regions and at the national level .
He said these stakeholders will develop a joint advocacy plan that will help them take the key issues identified at the meeting, forward at different levels.
” We will also be identifying different key stakeholders institutions that we need to engage with ,we will be identifying the key issues , affecting the Northwest and the Northeast .
“We want to understand the key alignments in the point of diversion or areas, where what is different in the Northwest is identified as it relates to the Northeast. So, those points of convergence is something we really want to leverage on .
Also, the Director General/CEO at Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution · Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Joseph Ochogwu said the institute has so far focused on the none forcible components of the crisis and how they manage these crisis without the use of force .
“So,what we do is to provide research to help provide policy direction for research . We are looking around issues on education, employment, livelihood, skills , psychological reorientation of people , providing data narrative to the negative narrative that has led to some of these things .
” We are partnering with International Alert Nigeria to address some of these problem . Issues of conflicts are not what one individual can address alone . It has to be multi-stakeholder approach, it has to take alot of collaboration, partnerships and engagement including the media,” he said.
Also, Dr Muritala Ahmed Rufai, from the Department of History and International Studies , Usman Danfodiyi University, Sokoto state said International Alert diaolgue is unique because participants are going to have expertise sharing from those that succeeded in addressing the issues practically through institutions, organisations and also provide us with success stories .
He said this dialogue will further create an opportunity for synergy, collaboration, experience sharing and create an opportunity for a better future in the Northwest.
