Stakeholders in peacebuilding and conflict management converged on Abuja to take a close look at Nigeria’s performance on the Global Peace Index and what the Positive Peace Framework means for building a more peaceful nation.
The high-level dialogue, which brought together diplomats, security experts, civil society actors and peace practitioners, sought to find solutions to Nigeria’s struggle with insecurity and identify practical steps that can be taken to reverse the trend.
Speaking at the event, the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, identified underdevelopment and a lack of meaningful investment by the Nigerian Government in critical sectors as major drivers of insecurity in the country.
She warned that without deliberate investment in education, infrastructure, job creation and social justice, the cycle of violence may be difficult to break.
Other speakers called on the Federal Government to live up to its primary responsibility of providing adequate security for citizens, especially as the nation inches towards the 2027 general elections, a period historically marked by heightened political tensions and violence.
The forum also emphasised the need for Nigeria to strengthen mutual and strategic relationships with the Sahel region, noting that insecurity is transnational and that what affects neighbouring countries inevitably spills into Nigeria.
The stakeholders called for a more holistic, people-centred approach to peace that goes beyond military operations to address root causes.
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Editor: Ada Ononye
