The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) says coordinated partnership between the Federal Government and Civil Society Organizations, will effectively curb violent conflicts in Nigeria.
Dr Bakut Bakut, Director-General of the institute made the assertion in Abuja on Friday, while speaking at a symposium organized by the institute and a German foundation, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).
The theme of the symposium is “the role of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria’s core conflicts”.
Bakut said: “There is need to build sustainable cooperation and partnership between government and civil society groups in the country.
“To promote government/CSOs partnership, access to information on both sides should be guaranteed by law; mutually, both should know how funds at their disposal are used.
“There is need for a well-structured institutional arrangement for the partnership between civil society groups, goverment agencies and departments at all levels.”
The DG noted that the relationship between the civil society and government had been characterized by the challenge of distrust for one another, hence the urgent need for collaboration.
He said that CSOs had been faced with the challenge of suspicion from the state as state actors viewed them as competitors of power and influence on the populace.
Bakut added that CSOs had often accused security forces of harassment, human rights abuse, unlawful detention and denial of assembly in line of duty, affecting their roles in peace building.
“The media, which is an integral part of civil society, operates in fear in Nigeria, so much so that they self-censored programmes and opinion to avoid being shut down,” he said.
Bakut concluded that the best way forward was for government, security agencies and CSOs to synergize and apply themselves to the art and practice of participatory governance in order to curb conflicts.
