The Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to resolve the various conflicts plaguing the country in a peaceful and inclusive manner.
In an interview with Arise News on Sunday, Dr. Ochogwu said that President Tinubu has shown a high level of consultation, negotiation, engagement and dialogue with different stakeholders since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
Dr. Ochogwu also expressed optimism that the federal government’s policies and actions will lead to a reduction of conflicts and an improvement of the security situation in the country.
He said that although some of the conflicts are becoming more recurrent, frequent, protracted and intractable, there is no conflict that is not resolvable.
He added that conflict is part and parcel of any human existence, but that the conflict that should be frowned at is the violent conflict that leads to loss of lives and property, and sets the country on a development reverse.
He said, “It’s regrettable that some of the conflicts we are having are becoming more recurrent and frequent and they seem to be becoming more protracted and little bit intractable but that being as it is there’s no conflict that is not resolvable.
“It is important to and instructive to mention that conflict is part and parcel of any human existence. The conflict we frown at is the violent conflict which tends to lead to lead to loss of lives and property, and then sets us on a development reverse.”
He said that these are the tools that can help resolve conflicts in a non-violent way, and that the president’s eight priority areas reflect his commitment to addressing the root causes of violent conflicts, such as exclusion, injustice, poverty and underdevelopment.
He stated, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government coming to power in May 29, it was very clear. If you listen carefully to most of his statements he’s been making, especially, in the first one month, the level of consultation, negotiation and engagement and dialogue that he engaged with different stakeholders, I think it’s one major step in the right direction in terms of resolving whatever differences in the society in a very amicable and peaceful way. Because those are the tools, issues around negotiation, dialogue, stakeholders consultations and a sense of inclusion, that is the pathway to go to resolve conflict in a non-violent way.
“If you look at his eight priority areas, one of the key things you’ll find there, you’ll find inclusion, you’ll find rule of law, you’ll find economic growth, you’ll find poverty eradications, all these tools are actually pathways to resolving contradictions and violent conflicts in the society in a non-violent way.
“There is a very clear directive on which the federal government wants to set the country towards resolving some of these complex differences.
“If you look at the policies that are being put in place you’ll see that there is hope that these conflicts are going to be addressed. The reason why I said so is that, one you have to look at the body language of the president, you have to look at his speeches and then you have to look at his actions.”
He urged all Nigerians to support the president’s peace initiatives and to embrace dialogue and tolerance as a way of resolving their differences.
