Conflict prevention has been described as a collective responsibility that requires societal and government approach to achieve lasting peace and stability.
The director general institute for peace and Conflict resolution (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu made the disclosure during a stakeholders strategic workshop for early response system in Nigeria, held in Kano.
According to him,the objective of IPCR is to bridge the gap between early warning, early response and entrench a system of collaborative conflict prevention,due to the prevalence rate in Nigeria and Africa.
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He attributed the gap to inadequate communication among stakeholders and disconnection between members of the community and security agencies meant to respond to early warnings.
The director general explained that, the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) is a federal government agency saddled with the mandate of conflict prevention, mitigation, resolution and management.
“To ensure sustainable peace in our nation, the IPCR is in the process of building a robust conflict early warning and early response (CEWER) system for Nigeria in collaboration with a consortium of government and non-governmental organizations”
Joseph hinted that,the partner project is a collaborative effort sponsored by the USAID to promote early warning and early response, peace-building and social cohesion in Nigeria.
He commend Kano state government and people of Kano state for being a shining example of a sub national entity in Nigeria that has been peaceful and stable over the past decade.
The Chairman of the Occasion, Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya, who doubles as head of the Secretariat Kano Peace Committee, and Executive Director, Citizens for Development and Education (CDE), commended Mercy Corp and USAID, for the project which is aimed at supporting the Institutional efforts of preventing violent conflict in the State.
He charged the State Level Early Response Group, which comprises of Police, DSS, Civil Defense, Nigerian Army, Customers, Nigerian Prison Services, Immigration, Hisbah, KAROTA, NOA, CAN, JNI, Nigerian Air force, Religious and Traditional leaders, as well CSOs, to be fully committed to achieve the desired objectives.
Waiya, assured the members of the State Level Early Response Group, that trainings and engagements would subsequently follow, to equip them with knowledge on how to improve citizens security agencies relationship in the State, among others.