FG inaugurates committee on national peace commission

 

THE Federal Government has inaugurated a Committee to develop framework for the establishment of a National Peace Commission as part of efforts to resolve various conflicts in Nigeria.

 

Secretary to the Government of the Federation Mr. Boss Mustapha, who inaugurated the committee, which has Dr Bakut Tswan Bakut as the chairman, on Monday in Abuja.

SGF who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Office (SSO) of the OSGF, Mrs. Amina Bello Shamaki, said the committee is to recommend a suitable platform for resolving avoidable conflicts in order to return Nigeria to the path of peace and sustainable development.

He disclosed that the National Economic Council at its last Security Summit held in August 2017 reviewed the security situation in the country and identified ethno-religious crisis as one of the sources of insecurity, which needs to be addressed, and recommended the need to establish a National Peace Commission by the Federal Government and Peace Agencies by State governments.

Mustapha said that there were myriads of security challenges across the countries that are yet to be brought to a halt.

These include terrorism in the North East, armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping in the North West, farmers and herdsmen’s crisis in the North Central, secessionist agitations in the South East, pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering, theft and cultism in the South-South as well as the adverse activities of electricity vandals and in the South West and South South.

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“Such myriads of security issues are indications that all parts of the country are engrossed in one security challenges or another,” he said.

He noted that members of the new committee were carefully selected based on their pedigree as sustainable peace builders and enjoined them to carry out the assignment by the tradition of Public Service and in the interest of the country.

He also tasked the committee to develop a sustainable framework for the establishment of a National Peace Commission at Federal level and Peace Agencies at the State level.

The committee is also to articulate the functions to be performed by both National Peace Commission and Peace Agencies and to draw the administrative structures and Organogram for National Peace Commission and Peace Agencies.

Mustapha, also urged the group to recommend the legal framework for the National Peace Commission and Peace Agencies and to harness any other issue they deem relevant to accomplish the assignment.

In his remarks, the chairman of the committee Dr Bakut Tswan Bakut thanked the Federal Government for its efforts in bringing Peace and sustainable development in Nigeria and pledged the resolve of the committee to work hard and report back within the time frame of three Months.

Members were drawn from Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolutions, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Justice, Defence Headquarters, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Orientation Agency and Special Service Office (OSGF).