By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA – As part of efforts to engender peaceful coexistence among the component parts of the federation, the Federal Government has begun measures to establish a National Peace Commission while states government would individually establish Peace Agencies in their areas.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha disclosed this Monday in Abuja when he inaugurated the Committee on the Establishment of a National Peace Commission.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Office SSO in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, Mrs. Amina Bello Shamaki, the SGF said “the essence of the Committee is to recommend a suitable platform for resolving avoidable conflicts in order to return Nigeria to the path of peace and sustainable development”.

Mustapha disclosed that the National Economic Council at its last Security Summit held in August, 2017 reviewed the security situation in the country and identified ethno-religious crisis as one of the causes of insecurity, which needs to be addressed, and recommended the need to establish a National Peace Commission by the Federal Government and Peace Agencies by State governments.

According to a statement by the Principal Information Officer, Mbanefo John on behalf of the Assistant Director, the SGF noted that there are myriads of security challenges across the countries that are yet to be brought to a halt.

“These include terrorism in the North East, armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping in the North West, farmers and herdsmen’s crisis in the North Central, secessionist agitations in the South East, pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering, theft and cultism in the South South as well as the adverse activities of electricity vandals and in the South West and South South.

“Such myriads of security issues are indications that all parts of the country are engrossed in one security challenge or another”, he stressed.

In addition, Mustapha said that members of the committee were carefully selected based on their pedigree as sustainable peace builders and enjoined them to carry out the assignment in line with the tradition of Public Service and in the interest of the country.

He also tasked the committee to develop a sustainable framework for the establishment of a National Peace Commission at Federal level and Peace Agencies at the State level, to articulate the functions to be performed by both National Peace Commission and Peace Agencies, to draw the administrative structures and Organogram for National Peace Commission and Peace Agencies.

The SGF also commissioned the group to recommend the legal framework for the National Peace Commission and Peace Agencies and to harness any other issue they deem relevant to accomplish the assignment.

In his remarks, the chairman of the committee, Dr Bakut Tswan Bakut thanked the Federal Government for its efforts in ensuring peace and sustainable development in Nigeria and pledged the resolve of the Committee to work hard and report back within the time frame of three months.

Members of the committee were drawn from the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Justice, Defence Headquarters, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Orientation Agency and the Special Services Office in the OSGF.