2011 progress report to the Global Alliance for
Ministries and Departments of Peace

Country: Nigeria
Campaign: Ministry for Peace – Nigeria
GA Contact Person: Prince Oseremen IRENE
Contact Email: OSEREME1@gmail.com
Website(s): http://sites.google.com/site/nigeriaalliance4peace/
www.nigeriaallianceforpeace.blogspot.com

REPORT ON MOP CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA

Brief History:

Nigerian Alliance for Peace was founded in 2007 by a group of Peace Studies Scholars haven learnt from the United States campaign by The Peacealliance and more especially the Student Peace Alliance 2007 Conference in Brandeis and through the Director of the Student Peace Alliance got to know about the Global Alliance for Ministries and Department of Peace, which led to the introduction of Oseremen into the GA movement. These experiences gave birth to NAP in order to advance the objectives of GA in Nigeria.

Since her formation, NAP has drawn volunteers (members) from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria with contact persons in the 36 States in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The commitment of NAP to the campaign for Ministry of Peace and the promotion of a culture of peace in Nigeria has nonetheless been without financial confrontation, yet NAP, in spite of the pressure of the whirlwind and storms rise through the series of challenges to maintain its existence till date.

Current Status of campaign:

The campaigns for the establishment of MOP in Nigeria were officially flag-off in May 2008 in an event that attracted a cross section of Nigerians to the University of Ibadan conference centre. Prior to the said event there have been internal activities within Nigerian Alliance for Peace to properly position itself for the task of coordinating the campaign as well as play significant role in building a culture of peace in Nigeria. Full report of the 2008 campaign flag off event can be read on the above websites.

Since the campaign flag-off event, NAP has been largely involved in building awareness on the concept of Ministry of Peace in Nigeria, and she has utilised every opportunity created in the course of the different programs she has put together such as capacity building workshop on nonviolent struggle for social change; training in nonviolent conflict transformation; interactive forum on institutionalizing peace and development in local governance; climate change and the role of a Ministry of Peace in mitigating violence; spirituality and violence prevention; human rights, security and peace-building; the contributions of a Ministry of Peace, including the program she participated in but was put together by Social Action and Centre for Global Nonviolence Nigeria where NAP representatives presented and coordinated the session on Oil & Community Resistance in Niger Delta: The nonviolent alternative, among other, to give voice to the idea of a Ministry of Peace as alternative approach to building a culture of peace in Nigeria.

The 2010 AAP summit hosted by NAP in Nigeria (check the site above for details) further play central role in taking the idea of MOP to the door step of the government as it attracted the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution situated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a parastatal and together we are accelerating uphill to have a Ministry of Peace established in Nigeria. This drive has been further invigorated by the academic research into the idea of institutionalizing peace in Nigeria through the creation of MOP which currently has members of NAP serving as participatory action research group. This has led to a formal development of a proposal (of doctoral academic research standard) for the creation of MOP in Nigeria and work in progress on the development of draft bill as well as added more theoretical flesh to the ongoing nonviolent campaign for MOP in Nigeria by Nigeria Alliance for Peace. Of great important is University support for the idea of MOP in Nigeria and this has opened a new chapter and generally shape the direction of campaign in Nigeria.

NAP appreciates the idea behind grassroots campaign and the involvement of all, as such recently evolved into a coalition status looking forward to work in alliance with a cross-section of civil society organizations in Nigeria as well as friends of Nigeria and Nigerians in diaspora, among others. This has been reflected in our new site whose address is aforementioned above.

Insight or lessons learned:

Gaining insight into Gene Sharp nonviolent ideology and the campaign to ban landmine and cluster munitions (from which NAP is now drawing from to advance her campaign) has unequivocally informed NAP restructuring which among others include evolving NAP into a coalition to forge a fortified campaign for MOP in Nigeria.

As regards lessons learned, external support such as that enjoyed by NAP from Mike Abkin during NAP’s campaign flag-off event and hosting or organizing events that bring people together can help add value to campaigns and increase awareness.