FG urged to forget about conventional ways for conflict de-escalation
The Nigerian Government has been urged to forget about conventional ways of doing things which in significant ways has led to conflict escalation and indirectly sparked nationwide damaging reactions.
Such reactions were pointed out to include the #EndSARS protests and hoodlum attacks that occurred in the last quarter of 2020.
This recommendation was raised during a three-day training workshop titled “Implementation of the Conflict Sensitive Approach to Development Programming, Budget Formulation, Monitoring and Reporting” held in Ibadan.
The workshop was organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ekiti State Government with support from the Government of Norway.
In participation were 26 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, including the Speaker and his deputy; 47 participants from ministries, departments and agencies (MDA’s) including 3 State commissioners and some members of civil society organisations.
Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Fuminiyi Afuye, said for any meaningful development to occur in any society, efforts must be intensified towards prevention of crises and resolution of conflicts of any nature in such society.
“Business thrives only in societies where peace avails. Nigeria in recent times is faced with a lot of crisis resulting in insecurity, thereby being a clog in the wheel of the country’s development,” Afuye said.
CSOs at the workshop said the reason government must forget about conventional ways of doing things is evident in the failed approach to resolving crises especially the 19-year old Boko Haram onslaught and the last five years of escalated kidnappings, Farmers/Herders crisis and banditry, with destruction of lives and properties, destabilization of families and devastation of whole communities which were classified as being far worse than the impact of the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70
Chairman of the Coalition of Ekiti Civil Society Organizations (COECSO), Prof. Christopher Oluwadare, said there is no geo-political zone, state, family, country or individual in the country that is not affected by the the stated conflict.
“Public policies, programmes and legislations must therefore be comprehensive enough to generate comprehensive security and adequate livelihood for the people, especially rural dwellers,” he said.
He added that budgetary provisions will be conflict sensitive if the needs are generated through adequate communication in partnership with CSOs to reach target beneficiaries like the communities, women, PWDs and the youth.
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