FG launches national framework for peace, social cohesion

By Najeeb Sani

The Federal Government has launched the National Framework for Peace, Social Cohesion and Resilience, a shared national doctrine aimed at strengthening conflict prevention, peacebuilding and societal resilience across the country.

The framework was unveiled at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) in collaboration with Triple Peace Africa.

The launch was attended by senior government officials, officials of the ECOWAS Commission, representatives of federal ministries, departments and agencies, state peace commissions, security institutions, civil society organisations and development partners.

Developed with support from the European Union (EU) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the framework is the outcome of over a year of nationwide consultations involving federal and state institutions, security agencies, peace practitioners, civil society, traditional and faith-based actors and development partners.

Speaking at the launch, the Director General of OSPRE, Mr Chris Ngwodo, said the framework is a product of consensus harvested from institutions and stakeholders who recognise that sustainable peace is a responsibility shared by state and society.

He explained that the process, which started in 2025 as an initiative to revisit the earlier National Peace Policy, evolved into a more ambitious undertaking in response to Nigeria’s contemporary security and governance challenges.

Delivering the keynote address, the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (rtd), said sustainable security requires more than military operations.

“The central proposition of this Framework is that peace cannot be secured by military and law enforcement measures alone.

“Sustainable security requires functioning institutions, responsive governance, social trust, credible mechanisms for resolving disputes, and communities equipped with the capacities to prevent and withstand crises,” he said.

Famadewa said the framework would bridge the gap between national security operations and civilian-led peacebuilding, while promoting stronger coordination between federal, state and local institutions.

He noted that it provides a civil and institutional complement to the National Threat Assessment and the Strategic Defence Operations Plan as directed by President Bola Tinubu.

In his goodwill message, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard M. Doro, described the framework as important to strengthening the relationship between humanitarian protection, conflict prevention and sustainable development, stressing that displacement and vulnerability cannot be addressed without confronting underlying drivers of insecurity.

Also speaking, the Director General of the National Boundary Commission, Surveyor Adamu Adaji, said the framework is critical for peace in Nigeria’s borderlands where transboundary mobility, resource competition and communal tensions pose complex challenges.

The Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Mrs Inna Audu, said the framework marks a step towards integrating peacebuilding into national development planning.

Providing an account of the process, Executive Director of Triple Peace Africa, Dr Paul Nyulaku, described the framework as a landmark achievement reflecting “the collective wisdom of institutions, practitioners and communities across Nigeria.”