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 the government facilities, across the country.
This is just as the Center 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 Niger Delta region and beyond.
Bakut made the remark at CEPEJ’s headquarters at Ugolo in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, describing CEPEJ as a special NGO that needed to be partnered with by the Federal Government of Nigeria to pursue peace and harmony in the country.
He observed that both CEPEJ and IPCR have a common vision in Nigeria and Africa, adding that the signing of the MoU would birth new dawn in Niger Delta, Nigeria and Africa as a whole, noting that CEPEJ has over time, proven itself to be worthy of the Federal Government’s partnership.
Earlier in his address, National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade 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 Memorandum of Understanding, MoU early, but circumstances did not allow.
“The COVID-19 pandemic 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 peacebuilding organisations like ours are more important now than ever for bringing communities together while trying to meet other Sustainable Development Goals.
“The MoU is not just a piece of paper as it commits us to close partnership in the key areas of Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution and Development of Society.
“For years, CEPEJ and IPCR have directed their joint focus and expertise to foster local involvement in peacebuilding 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.”
Mulade, a Gbaramatu kingdom Chief further observed that “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.
“They require multi-sector approaches and call for new ways of working and also for policy coherence built through engaging the Federal Government, other civil societies, the private sector, households and individuals.
“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 the 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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