Abuja – The Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Muhammadu Gana, has called for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians, irrespective of religious or ethnic creed.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Corps’ spokesperson, Emmanuel Okeh, on Monday in Abuja.
Gana, who was represented by Assistant Commandant-General in charge of Crisis Management Directorate, Mr Amos Andekin, said that every Nigerian must embrace peace for the nation to achieve its set goals and move forward.
The NSCDC boss made the call at the end of a training programme entitled: “Training on Principles and Practice of Alternative Dispute Resolution for NSCDC Peace Desk Officers” in Abuja.
He said that the training, organised by the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was to enhance the officers’ productivity.
He also said that the training was to help participants understand the dynamics and applicability of mediation as strategies for conflict management.
According to him, the training will go a long way in helping the NSCDC personnel to acquire leadership and team building skills to sharpen their professionalism in conflict situation.
“We organised this training for our officers, having seen what the country is going through and we concluded that there is no alternative to peace.
“Without peace there will be no development and it has been in our Act to carry out conflict resolution and we have a department to that effect.
“This training, we believe, will strengthen and rebuild the confidence and capability of the officers in practical mediation work,” Gana said.
The representative of the UNDP, Mr Matthew Alao, a conflict prevention and peace building analyst, said that government needed stability to perform optimally and bring development to the people.
He said the programme would boost the capability of officers of the corps to enable them to mediate in civil conflict at community level.
Alao said that the exercise would reduce pressure on the judicial system and also to reduce violence and conflict in the society.
The analyst said that the UNDP would continue to promote peaceful coexistence in the country through conflict resolution.
No fewer than 150,000 men and officers of the corps took part in the training that took place at the Civil Defence Academy, Abuja. (NAN)