Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Professor Bakut Tswah Bakut, has said the agency has commenced a nationwide awareness campaign to curtail the ongoing insurgency, kidnapping, banditry, killings, herdsmen menace and destruction of properties, especially government’s facilities across the country.
This is just as the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government’s agency to continue the crusade of peaceful co-existence in the Niger Delta region and beyond.
Bakut made the remark at of CEPEJ’s headquarters at Ugolo in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, describing CEPEJ as a special non-government organisation (NGO) that needed to be partnered with by the Federal Government to pursue peace and harmony in the country.
He observed that both CEPEJ and IPCR had a common vision in Nigeria and Africa, adding that the signing of the MoU would birth a new dawn in Niger Delta, Nigeria and Africa as a whole, noting that CEPEJ had, overtime, proved itself to be worthy of the Federal Government’s partnership.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Sheriff Mulade, while donating an office complex to IPCR, expressed delight at the formalisation of the MoU.
According to him, “We had thought we could sign this MoU early, but circumstances did not allow.
“The COVID-19 has taught us that trust, partnership and solidarity are essential for confronting threats to peace and security. This agreement is indeed a significant milestone in our ongoing collaboration.
“Strong peace building organisations like ours are more important now than ever for bringing communities together while trying to meet other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The MoU is not just a piece of paper as it commits us to close partnership in the key areas of Peace building, conflict resolution and development of society.
“For years, CEPEJ and IPCR have directed their joint focus and expertise to fostering local involvement in peace building conversations and activities.
“We have come a long way and now is the right moment for us to strengthen our cooperation and enhance our common focus and work policy.”
“We live in demanding times. Nigeria faces complex challenges that have profound implications for peace, security and inequality, and we must address the issue of an ageing population, the prospect of irreversible climate change and increased migration flows.
“These challenges are complex and interwoven and can only be tackled by working together at the individual, local, regional, national and global levels.
“We represent the people at the grassroots and we do understand best, their needs and interests. Our partnerships with stakeholders make the grassroots a unique place to foster progress.
“With this Memorandum of Understanding, we are building a joint action from the local to global level, taking necessary steps to implement the 2030 Peace Agenda and its SDGs. CEPEJ’s aim of signing this GMoU with the IPCR is to open doors for other stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to key into the partnership and exploit the benefits for the development of our communities.”
Highlights of the ceremony was the handing over of the office complex built within the premises of CEPEJ headquarters at Ugolo in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State which will serve as the South-South zonal operational base of IPCR.
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