The Nigerian presidency has said that most of the insecurity plaguing the country’s North-Central region can be solved through grassroots strategies rather than military campaigns.
Dr Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), told participants at a training workshop in Abuja on Tuesday that “almost 70 per cent” of the challenges could be resolved through dialogue, early dispute resolution, and improved intelligence sharing.
She said the newly launched Presidential Community Engagement Peace Initiative (PCEPI) was already fostering cooperation in Plateau State and would soon be expanded across all 110 local governments in the region in partnership with the International Communities Organisation (ICO).
Stakeholders at the training, including representatives from the Nigerian Forest Security Service and civil society groups, flagged porous borders and poorly protected forests as security flashpoints. The MacArthur Foundation’s Kole Shettima added that Nigeria must invest in traditional dispute-resolution systems, warning that “peace is essential and paramount” for development.
