Insecurity: Eminent Nigerians call for the establishment of Dialogue Council
Call for migration to modern Agric system Eminent Nigerians arose from a 2-day roundtable meeting on Tuesday in Minna, Niger state, with a call on the federal government to adopt dialogue in conflict management rather than over-reliance on the military.
In a communiqué read by former Military Governor of Rivers state, General Anthony Ukpo, participants at the roundtable agreed that every part of Nigeria is bedeviled by one form of extreme violence or the other with increasing erosive effects on the Nigerian state.
It said, recourse to the military option to conflict management often resulted in the escalation of the crisis in the face of glaring deficits in personnel and equipment to fight asymmetric warfare.
It equally advocated for the establishment of a National Mediation Council and Mediation Centres at the state level to foster peaceful coexistence and inter-group harmony.
The meeting supports the migration to modern agriculture systems by crop and livestock farmers in order to boost profits and encourage economic transformation.
“The role of the military should be limited to defending Nigeria and not doing police jobs as now witnessed all over the country. The police and related paramilitary organizations should be better trained for playing their traditional roles,” it said.
It said that Nigeria needs to accelerate the process of recruitment of additional security personnel, especially the police in which the numbers are inadequate for even normal policing work.
The forum also advised federal and state governments to ensure clear separation of religion and the state as stipulated in the 1999 constitution adding that they should adhere to the rule of law in addressing issues of religion and security.
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In his closing remarks, the convener of the roundtable and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said it is the responsibility of every Nigerian to keep the country together in peace and harmony.
He advised Nigerians to always obey the laws of the land and avoid unnecessary hate speeches that could escalate conflicts in the nation.
He assured that the recommendations of the forum would be forwarded to appropriate authorities for implementation and thanked participants for their patriotism in proffering solutions to the problems confronting the nation.
He said that invited participants who could not attend the roundtable will be invited for another forum adding that dialogue is a continuous process in peace building and conflict resolution.
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