The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has said that the role of regious leaders and policy makers is very critical in addressing security breaches in the country.
Speaking at the policy review meeting of the Network of Policymakers to Support Reconciliation, Peace and Security in Nigeria, held at the IPCR office in Abuja, the Director General of the Institute, Dr. Bakut T. Bakut, acknowledged that religious leaders have played and still playing key role in shaping issues that bother on the human security of citizens.
The discussion at the meeting centred on the theme: Strengthening collaboration between policymakers and regious leaders for human security provisioning in Nigeria.
The theme, according to the Director General, provides am ideal platform for the network members to interact and share perspectives on how best, joint efforts between policy makers and faith based leaders can improve the human security provisioning for the Nigerian citizens.
Dr. Bakut said: “In Nigeria, quest for security is a basic preoccupation of the state and Indeed, everyone. This is because security affects not only the satisfaction of human need but, also, the fundamental issues of survival of the human being.
“Therefore, as important as this security is, certain decisions and policy failure breach its existence in our dear nation. Issues such as, corruption, favouritism/nepotism, armed violence, armed robbery, drug trafficking, illegal arms smuggling, kidnapping, religious fundamentalism deliberately constitute breaches to the security. To address these breaches, the role of the religious leaders and policy makers becomes very critical.”
The Director General, who said that the meeting would not have come as a better time than now, in view of current happening in the nation today, added that “though Nigeria operates as a secular society, but our religious leanings as citizens, have also made us a religious conscious people, because religion itself is one of the cultural pattern of human society which helps to shape and reshape the society.
“Without a shred of doubt, religious leaders have played key role in shaping issues that bother on the human security of citizens.”
He noted that religious leaders have contributed significantly in enhancing human security through the provision of schools, hospitals, manpower development and humanitarian intervention for national development.
“Therefore, we need to remain committed in this onerous task because working together as policy makers and religious leaders helps us to understand better our diversity and provide us with options to manage such diversity towards achieving a peaceful society,” Dr. Bakut said.
