The Federal Government has launched a National Framework for Peace, Social Cohesion and Resilience to strengthen conflict prevention, peacebuilding and national security across the country.
The framework, unveiled in the Abuja, is expected to provide a common platform for government institutions, security agencies, state peace commissions and civil society organisations to coordinate efforts towards addressing conflicts and promoting social stability.
This was contained in a press statement signed on Thursday by Amina Wali, Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanisms (NCCRM).
The initiative was developed by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, in collaboration with Triple Peace Africa, with support from the European Union and the German development agency, GIZ.
Speaking at the launch, the Director-General of OSPRE, Chris Ngwodo, said the framework emerged from nationwide consultations involving government institutions and other stakeholders committed to sustainable peace.
Ngwodo said, “The National Framework for Peace, Social Cohesion and Resilience is a product of consensus harvested from nationwide consultations involving institutions and stakeholders who recognise that the pursuit of sustainable peace is a responsibility shared by the state and society.”
He explained that the initiative, which began in 2025 as an effort to review the previous National Peace Policy, evolved into a broader framework following the recognition that Nigeria’s contemporary security and governance challenges required a more comprehensive approach.
In his keynote address, the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.), said military operations alone could not address the underlying causes of insecurity and conflicts.
He stressed the need to complement security operations with effective governance, functional institutions and community-based peacebuilding mechanisms.
“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,” Famadewa said.
He added that the framework would bridge the gap between national security operations and civilian-led peacebuilding while strengthening coordination among federal, state and local institutions.
According to him, the initiative will complement the National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan directed by President Bola Tinubu, through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to national security.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an important contribution to linking humanitarian protection, conflict prevention and sustainable development.
Doro said challenges such as displacement, livelihood disruption and the vulnerability of conflict-affected communities could not be sustainably addressed without tackling the underlying causes of insecurity.
He called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, humanitarian agencies, peacebuilding organisations and development partners.
Similarly, the Director-General of the National Boundary Commission, Surveyor Adamu Adaji, said the framework would strengthen peacebuilding efforts in border communities, where resource competition, communal tensions and cross-border activities often create security challenges.
Adaji emphasised the need to integrate early warning systems, conflict prevention and community-based peacebuilding into border management and cross-border cooperation.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners in the Office of the Vice President, Mrs Inna Audu, said the framework would help integrate peacebuilding and resilience into national development planning and humanitarian interventions.
She stressed the importance of aligning government priorities with development partners’ interventions, particularly in communities affected by conflict, displacement and economic hardship.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Triple Peace Africa, Dr Paul Nyulaku, described the framework as a landmark achievement in collaborative policy development.
Nyulaku said the consultative process brought together institutions and practitioners with different responsibilities and experiences to establish shared priorities for peacebuilding.
He described the framework as reflecting “the collective wisdom of institutions, practitioners and communities across Nigeria.”
The framework’s development followed more than a year of consultations involving federal and state institutions, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and development partners.
Several ministries, departments and agencies, state peace commissions and civil society organisations have also subscribed to its principles and strategic objectives.
The framework is expected to serve as a common reference for coordinating interventions, mobilising resources and strengthening the relationship between early warning, early response, conflict resolution, social cohesion and sustainable development.
The launch marks the beginning of a new phase focused on institutional adoption and coordinated implementation of the framework across the country.
