Nigeria is stepping up efforts to establish a coordinated national framework for peacebuilding, as key stakeholders convened in Abuja for the Second High-Level Expert Dialogue on the Draft National Peace Policy (NPP), aimed at addressing the country’s fragmented conflict management system.
The dialogue was organised by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in collaboration with the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Resilience and Triple Peace Africa. It brought together policymakers, security experts, academics, civil society actors, and development partners to refine and advance the proposed framework.
Speaking at the opening session, the Director-General of IPCR, Joseph Ochogwu, warned that Nigeria’s complex and evolving security challenges have made the adoption of a comprehensive peace policy both urgent and necessary.
He highlighted persistent threats across the country, including insurgency in the North-East, farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central, separatist agitations in the South-East, and widespread banditry and kidnapping in the North-West. According to him, the cumulative impact of these crises continues to strain national cohesion and undermine stability.
Ochogwu further noted that the proliferation of small arms and declining trust between communities and public institutions have exacerbated insecurity, weakening existing local conflict resolution mechanisms.
He stressed that Nigeria can no longer rely on fragmented and uncoordinated interventions, advocating instead for a unified, evidence-based approach to peacebuilding.
“What we require now is a nationally owned system that coordinates all peacebuilding actors, eliminates duplication, and ensures that interventions are measurable, accountable, and impactful at the community level,” he said.
The IPCR Director-General explained that the Draft National Peace Policy is the product of extensive consultations across the six geopolitical zones, incorporating inputs from traditional rulers, civil society organisations, academic institutions, government agencies, and grassroots stakeholders.
He described the proposed policy as a strategic shift from reactive crisis management to a preventive, development-oriented framework anchored on data, early warning systems, and institutional coordination.
A central objective of the policy, he said, is to address the absence of a unified coordinating mechanism for peace initiatives nationwide—a gap that has led to duplication of efforts, institutional rivalry, and inefficient resource utilisation.
The framework is also designed to mainstream peacebuilding across critical sectors, including security, justice, education, health, agriculture, and governance, thereby promoting a whole-of-government approach to conflict prevention and national stability.
Ochogwu added that the policy aligns with international and regional frameworks such as the United Nations Sustaining Peace Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals—particularly Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions—the African Union Agenda 2063, and the Economic Community of West African States Conflict Prevention Framework.
Participants at the dialogue emphasised that the success of the policy would depend on strong political commitment, clearly defined institutional roles, sustainable funding mechanisms, and effective coordination across all tiers of government.
They cautioned that without robust implementation structures, the policy risks remaining a well-articulated document without tangible impact.
Ochogwu called on stakeholders to take collective ownership of the process, warning against institutional silos that weaken national response systems. He reaffirmed IPCR’s readiness to collaborate with federal and state governments, civil society organisations, the private sector, and international partners to ensure the policy is finalised and implemented promptly.
Analysts note that the proposed National Peace Policy could mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s conflict management strategy, moving from reactive security responses to a more structured, preventive, and sustainable peacebuilding framework.
