The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution are to Partner on peace building for sustainable development in Nigeria.
The Director General of the Institute, Dr. Bakut T.Bakut disclosed this to newsmen when he received the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama in his office in Abuja.
Dr. Bakut described the visit as historic and a clear message on promoting the culture of peace that encapsulate love, togetherness, solidarity, neighborliness, forgiveness, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda on sustainable peace, security and development.
He told the Minister that IPCR as the premier Think-Tank on peace, security and development in the country, the Institute has been working to deliver on its mandate through strategic research, policy advisory, capacity building, advocacy/sensitization and direct intervention.
The country’s Number One Peace Builder observed that the issues of peace and conflict resolution being hatched at the Institute will continue to occupy the front burner of national discourse.
Dr. Bakut also recognized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which supervises the Institute has continued to demonstrate remarkable commitment and attention to the programmes and activities of the Institute which made it a Center of Excellence in the Sub Region in particular and Africa in general.
In his remarks, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama who was on a working visit to the Institute observed that peace constitute the bedrock for meaningful development of every nation.
Mr. Onyeama stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to collaborate with the Institute towards achieving sustainable peace and development in the country.
The Minister observed that since the return to democratic governance in 1999, Nigeria has continued to experience various violent conflicts connected with ethnic, religious and sectional nationalities.
“It was against this backdrop that the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) was established under the Ministry in February 2000 as an apex Think Tank and research agency of government to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for the promotion of peace and conflict resolution” he said.
He therefore charged the Institute to start thinking of how peace can be achieved in Nigeria. “The question is what can you do for the country to achieve peace. This is a subject that is dear to my heart and I can assure you of the Ministry’s readiness to discuss options in this regard, with you.”
“To this end, “We would continue to support and collaborate with the Institute to forge a transformative partnership for peaceful co-existence in the country”.
The Minister also used the occasion to commission three operational vehicles, inspected electronic library and presented IPCR Publications
