By Naomi Sharang
Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) and Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster peace in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two groups performed the signing ceremony in Abuja on Monday.
President of SPSP, Mr Nathaniel Awuapila said that the signing of the MoU was an opportunity for the organisation and HSN to deepen collaboration in fostering peace in the country.
“It’s a very welcome opportunity that hopefully, the two societies can work together to contribute to sustainable peace.
“Peace building is multi-sectoral and it’s interdisciplinary. We can’t effectively resolve or transform the conflicts that we experience in Nigeria if we don’t look at issues both as they appear in the present moment and the historical antecedents.
“And these two societies working independently, they have their advantages, but there are better advantages to be achieved when the two work together.
“That is why this historic moment today brings the two societies to sign a MoU and to partner on diverse initiatives”.
On ways of tackling insecurity in the country, Awuapila said: “Today, insecurity has become so complex that it is difficult to have a single answer.
“But one clear direction is for all who are involved in these sectors to work together.
“What we’re doing together between SPSP and HSN is an example of how to engage.
“If you have security agencies, of course the mandate they have, most of what they do involves force. But we can no longer resolve the conflicts using force today.
“We need research, we need advocacy, we need community interventions, we need sensitisation, we need dialogues.
“So we hope that all will be involved in looking for the evidence. It is important that our decisions be evidence-based,” he said.
Similarly, the acting President of HSN, Prof. Zara Kwaghe, said that the MoU was aimed at having a relationship with SPSP.
“This is because of the fact you cannot do without history, knowing the background of a particular thing before you get into it.
“And being a society that has to do with human beings, they have to go into this relationship with us to be able to have a better understanding of what they are doing.
“This is so that at the end of the day, we have a better product and the relationship will also bring out better scholarship in the area of academics and also in the area of nation building,” she said.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of SPSP, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, described SPSP as a dual purpose platform, bringing together academics and practitioners on peace and conflict management, conflict resolution and security issues.
He said that the MoU couldn’t have come at a better time than now “when very sadly, some conflicts have been mismanaged or not handled well.
“This is because of lack of information about the trajectory of the conflicts. In other words, the trends, the story, where did it start? Has it changed?”.
Bogoro urged government to step up efforts at tackling all forms of insecurity in the country.
On his part, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, a former President of HSN, said the MoU was to legally advance relationship with SPSP.
“We believe that working together, we can add value to each our organisations,” he said. (NAN)
Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq
