*Peacebuilding organization, whose report defined Nigeria's 2021 ugly experience*

_Set to raise 1 million army of peace professionals across Africa_

Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro is a popular independent Non-Governmental Organization for professional peace advocacy; research and conflict transformation.

The organization is reputed for rating peace, crafting peace narrative, facilitating crisis intervention and promoting human centered peace building approach based on fundamental indicators.

The organization, which has, since 2016, been making valuable contribution and impact towards Nigeria's quest for peace has declared its mission to train 1 million people across African continent on peacebuilding, to serve as counterforce to the army of insurgents across the continent.

PeacePro as it is popularly known was formally initiated and registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C) in January 2016 as Not-for-Profit Organization with registration number CAC/IT/NO84351.

Led by a human rights ambassador and energetic peace professional, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, who is a prominent graduate of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), due to his rich history with the school, especially his well published dispute with the then management of the University under Prof Vincent Ado Tenebe, which eventually led to his expulsion and subsequent court cases, still yet to be resolved.

PeacePro has, since 2016 proven itself to be one of the most responsive peace building and development group in Nigeria and it is determined to become a reliable partner to all stakeholders in the business of peace practice and propagation, while limiting the destructive impact of violent extremism in local communities.

PeacePro's mission is to transform conflict to opportunity for growth and development among people of various backgrounds and experiences. It is also focused on facilitating the creation of a cooperative society, where ethnic and religious agitation are unattractive and mutual distrust based on primordial considerations are limited to its barest minimal.

Since the establishment of PeacePro, the organization has continued to make great impact in Nigeria, particularly in the area of peace building facilitation, crisis intervention, human right defence, research and advocacy for social justice, through which it has worked with several local and international Organizations including Caux Forum's Initiative of Change, Switzerland, West Africa Network for Peacebuilders (WANEP), Peace360, United Network Organization for Youth (UNOY), Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin and the Praxist Center, Abuja.

The foot print of PeacePro can be seen almost everywhere in Nigeria, starting from its intervention during the crisis that erupted in Ife Town, Osun State in April 2017, to its fact finding mission to Southern Kaduna over the fulani herdsmen recurrent attacks in 2017 and its anti hate advocacy to avert genocide in Northern Nigeria after uncovering inciting hate song calling for genocide against a section of the country.

The organization has gone further to produce a major research project, tagged Nigeria Peace Index (NPI), which is a national replica of the reowned Global Peace Index (GPI) to measure the level peacefulness in states across Nigeria.

The research work commenced in 2016 and was publicly unveiled in April 2018 at the Federal Capital, Abuja.

In 2020, Peacepro led advocacy for the freedom of unsentenced prisoners across Nigeria, leading to several prisoners being freed by the government, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown.

PeacePro is also passively operating in North East conflict zone, where it is combating the misinformation of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group through counter narratives and building capacity of local volunteers.

Its anti suicide bombing campaign in North East involved the production and distribution of counter terrorism tracts, spanning over states like Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe and Borno State. The anti suicide bombing campaign also extends to North Central State of Plateau and Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, to desuade unsuspecting innocent citizens from being tool for terrorist organizations.

PeacePro also releases periodic reports on development at the heart of Nigeria’s war against insurgency in North East, aswell as in other parts of the country.

This is particularly important because, it allows the government, international community and the general public to have a different non partisan perspective about political situation in Nigeria that could enrich the quality of information at their disposal, as well as enhance the quality of decision to advance the counter terrorism efforts at the global community.

PeacePro has also been in involved in utilizing mediation as a tool for alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The organization has been involved in facilitating out of court settlement of disputes between parties in conflict. Also, it has, since 2017 been leading advocacy for improvement in conflict reportage and analysis by the media.

Peacepro was active in shaping public discussion during the #Endasars protest in 2020 and it is contributing to agenda setting for the country's leadership over farmers-herders clashes.

PeacePro also extended its advocacy to continental issue,such as the recent military confrontation in Ethiopia, where it advocated for a joint problem solving approach, which doesn't undermine Ethiopia's national sovereignty nor usurp the legitimacy of the validly elected government of Ethiopia.

In February 2021, PeacePro released the state of peace in Nigeria, a report that put spotlight on threat to Peace in 36 States of the country.

At a time, when insecurity got to its zenith in the country, PeacePro put together the report titled "State of Peace in Nigeria" to put spotlight on manifest threat to peace.

The report, according to Peacepro is to document state specific threat to peace for the ease of reference and to put peacebuilding at the forefront of national conversation with the aim of making peacebuilding centre piece of national security.

The report captures in real time, what has been happening in the each of the 36 States in Nigeria and illuminate very concisely, issues threatening peace and how the authorities are dealing with it.

PeacePro was the first organization to rightly declare threat by Indigenous of Biafra (Ipob) in South East and Banditry challenge in North West as full scale insurgency, this it did, when many are yet to fully understand the challenges possed by these groups.

"State of Peace report described Katsina and Zamfara State as epic Center of banditry in the country, nothing that banditry has risen to insurgency level, requiring full attention like the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

The group also identify Eastern Security Network of Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a threat, describing the threat posed by the seperatist group, as insurgency.

Other threats in Abia State highlighted by the report include Abia-Akwa Ibom border clash in Ikwuano and Obot community, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Self Acquired Tricycle Owners Association (SATOA).

In Adamawa, PeacePro identify a group known as Shila Boys as threat, aswell as degradation of natural resources.

The recurring communal crisis between Umueri and Aguleri communities in Anambra was identified as threat, among others.

As the year went on, almost all of the observation of PeacePro, in its state of peace report eventually defined Nigeria's experience in 2021.

Beyond mapping of threats to peace in Nigeria, PeacePro also embarked on various peacebuilding outreaches in 2021, prominent of which was its advocacy on Orile Igamnu community, in Lagos state.

Orile Community is one of the hot spot in Lagos State, designated as "threat to Peace", in the january edition of PeacePro's state of Peace report.

Orile Igamnu is said to be an abandoned Lagos community, ravaged by endemic poverty and insecurity and in which almost all available infrastructures in the area were built with community contribution.

After the outreach and intervention of PeacePro, the Lagos state government took notice of the community and made its presence felt, through building of new Police station in the area, which top on the list of its demand during PeacePro's advocacy visit.

PeacePro had also launched advocacy to bring about reforms in the United Nations in 2021.

The group, urges UN secretary generale, Guterres to persue reforms within the United Nations system to enhance global collaboration.

According to PeacePro, United Nations is the only hope of human kind to have peace and security and to be protected from undue harm and violation.

However, the organizational set up of the body and the decision making processes, has made many nation’s feel unimportant and alienated.

“Our view is that there’s need for a fundamental reforms within the United Nations that would bring nations together, because at this moment, many nations feel alienated” it reportedly said.

It concluded that, “As Guterres led UN commences its second tenure amidst global insecurity, we urge the Secretary General and his team to strive for reforms within the UN system in a way that would restore confidence and bring back nations that have been alienated over the years”.

PeacePro also released a report on the state of border disputes in the country, where it stated that intra and interstate border clashes in more than 20 states have persisted for more than 30 years, urging federal government to support its initiative to proffer parmanent solution to crisis.

PeacePro stated that, in the january edition of Its State of Peace report alone, land related communal dispute led to crisis in more than 13 States of the federation and in the subsequent months, similar clashes occured in more than 20 states of the federation.

"Inter State border clashes between Abia and Akwa Ibom Ikwuano Council communities
and Ini and Obot Akara Council claimed several lives in January, while Clashes between Enugu and Ebonyi State border Communities also claimed many lives"

The group also noted that, intra state border related crisis took place in many States of the federation.

"In Osun State, intra state crisis took place between Erin Osun and Ilobu Communities. In Adamawa State, it was between Lamurod Community and others. In Akwa Ibom, Okopedi andAmmamong and several other Communities were engaged in armed conflict. In Anambra State, it was betweenAguleri, Umueri and Umuoba. In Benue State, Ibilla took up arms againstUkpa community. In Cross River, Abakang was against Alok. In Delta State, Effium was against Ezza community. In Taraba State, Tiv and Jukun in Chachenji village took up arms against each other and several other States across the federation". It said.

PeacePro also decree the none implementation of several court judgements relating to land disputes in the country, saying that government should not continue to disregard its own institutions, as that would amount to culpability in the persistent crisis of land in the country.

It said, there are several court judgements in the country relating to land disputes, including surpeme court judgements that are not yet implemented and some of these judgements are dated back to the 1980's", noting that, the none implementation of these court judgements has encouraged lawlessness across the country, not only from disputing communities, but also from government.

"While PeacePro's is aware that court judgements are mostly given based on soundness of lawyers and legal technicalities, not necessarily to resolve the matter in a truthful manner, we still believed that judgements from the highest court in the land over land disputes should not be left un-executed".

Additionally, following the adoption of United Nations action plan on youth, peace and security in Nigeria, PeacePro raises critical question on the implementation.

The group maintained that, adopting United Nations action plan on youth, peace and security should be the beginning of a long journey, not an end.

According to PeacePro being the second country in the world to adopt the resolution is a good thing for Nigeria, but this alone is not good enough.

"Unlike previous policy, such as the strategic conflict assessment developed by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), which didn't get required political will for implementation, the national action on youth, peace and security should not suffer similar faith"

To cap it all in an impactful 2021, PeacePro partnered with Guild of Nigerian Dance Practitioners and Larinka Playhouse to train players in the creative industry on methods of infusing peace narratives in their entertainment productions.

This took place during a 3 days creative summit for the promotion of peacebuilding through dance, entertainment and cultural preservation, held in Lagos, Nigeria.

The organization said that the creative industry can play strategic role in healing Nigeria and bridging the gap.

The event, which include peacebuilding training for selected participant, bead festival and induction of trainee into the Foundation for Peace Professionals shall empower participants to understand the role of creative industry in promoting peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

It explained that, people working in the creative industry has alot of role to play in restoring peace to Nigeria and we are using this opportunity to bring creative professionals together to acquire basic skills of peacebuilding, so as to begin the process of incorporation peace advocacy in their contents.

For the year 2022, PeacePro has announced its plan to train 1 million people on peacebuilding across Africa in the next 5 years.

The organization said that its mission, starting from 2022, is to provide peace education to more than 1 million people across Africa.

We have dedicated training courses on peace advocacy, conflict analysis, interfaith and community dispute resolution, executive conflict assessment and management, commercial conflict transformation etc and through this program, we intend to raise an army of peace professionals, not insurgents, militants or conflict profiteers.