Nigerian Expert Team Develops National Peace Framework to Address Deep-Seated Divisions and Extremism
Fr. Atta Barkindo, Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, has been appointed to a high-level expert team tasked by Nigeria’s Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) with developing a comprehensive National Peace Framework. This initiative aims to evaluate and address both entrenched and emerging threats in Nigeria, a nation grappling with insurgency, banditry, and deepening sectarian divides. Fr. Barkindo highlights that Nigerians often identify more with their tribal, political, or religious affiliations than with a national identity, leading to a fractured society. He criticizes the lack of a deliberate government policy focused on creating social cohesion and points to a compromised security apparatus. The team's mandate is to synthesize existing peace frameworks into a single national blueprint, establish a coordinating institution with a dedicated budget, and ensure government agencies with peace mandates fulfill their roles. The framework seeks to address unaddressed historical grievances and... 
