The Society for Peace Studies and Practice, SPSP, has declared that insecurity has now become a national burden in Nigeria.
SPSP advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to work closely with peace professionals, researchers and grassroots actors in order to tackle insecurity in the country.
SPSP President, Mr Nathaniel Awuapila, made these assertions on Thursday at the 19th International annual conference and general assembly of SPSP in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Awuapila, while addressing participants at the event which has “Economic Challenges and the Tasks of Building Sustainable Peace in a Globalised World,” as theme, insisted that insecurity has now become an national burden.
He said that insecurity occasioned by kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and other criminal activities require the urgent attention of all actors such as the government, communities, scholars, and practitioners.
He lamented that Nigerian youths are becoming disillusioned while many communities are losing trust.
He said that it is unfortunate that the Nigerian economy is struggling under the weight of insecurity.
Awuapila then urged the federal government under the leadership of Tinubu to engage and work with peace professionals, researchers, and grassroots actors to tackle insecurity in the country.
He urged the government to prioritize peace as the foundation for socioeconomic stability.
He added that Nigeria still lacks a national peace policy framework sixty five years after independence.
“We are appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to work closely with peace professionals, researchers, and grassroots actors to help solve the insecurity confronting our nation.
“A national peace policy was drafted more than 15 years ago, but it has remained only a draft. Without a guiding framework that reflects our current realities, peace building becomes slow, fragmented, and reactive.
“Our youths are becoming disillusioned; communities are losing trust; the economy is struggling under the weight of insecurity. These realities demand collective action.
“We stand ready, as a community of peace scholars and practitioners, to support the government in designing and implementing sustainable strategies that will strengthen security while promoting national unity.”
