News
Institute For Peace And Conflict Resolution, Adopts ICT Applications To Curb Crimes, Violence In Nasarawa Sate
By Tambaya Julius
In a Spirit to combact crimes and violence in Nasarawa State, the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution has initiated and adopted information and communication technological related applications to monitor indicators of conflict with the view to curbing and containing crises at the formative stage in the country.
Sequel to this, the initiative which is to enhance Early Warning Early Response EWER is being implemented by the Peace Action for Rapid Transformative Nigerian Early Response (PARTNER) and sponsored by USAID and other project consortium to include West Africa Network for Peacebuilding WANEP, Plateau Peacebuilding Agency PPBA, Kaduna State Peace Commission KSPC, Mercy Corps Nigeria among others.
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution is currently implementing its technology driven conflict Early Warning Response system (CEWERS) with integrated community peace infrastructures and early warning response components in North Central and North west; nine states and 49 communities to enhance effective conflict prevention.
In Nasarawa state, the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution is working with five established components to include Early Waring Monitoring and Reporting group, Community Based Reconciliation Committees, Conflict Early Warning Indicator Monitors, Gender Focal Persons, Early Warning Response Group which are drawn from the conventional and non-conventional security agencies as well as the non-security response organizations.
To enhance the effectiveness of these components and strengthen the capacity of officers on the use ICT devices and the newly developed, Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution and its partners organized a symposium to equip the stakeholders on the workings of the ICT relate applications aimed at identifying conflict indicators; reporting conflicts and responding to them.
Declaring open the workshop in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, the Director General of the Institute, Dr, Joseph Ochogwu said the initiative is “created to bridge the gap between early warning and early response in Nigeria” adding that “in many instances, early warning reports and information are not responded to, or sometimes the response comes too late to prevent violence”
He said “in some occasions, citizens do not know which security agencies to send early warning information” a development that “inspired the establishment of the Peace Structure at the national and selected states” to close the gap.
“The IPCR and PARTNER realized the significance of the security agencies and other critical non-security stakeholders in playing a strategic role in the intervention, coordination and collaboration in accelerating response to conflict at the national, state and community levels.
“Without an effective and efficient response, every early warning will be meaningless. That is why your cooperation as members of the EWRG and EWMRG is highly solicited and your conduct as response stakeholders very instructive with other peace structures towards effective response, confidence building, conflict prevention and mitigation.
“To achieve a robust, effective, and coordinated response to early warning, the IPCR and PARTNER have adopted the use of technology to enhance our conflict prevention strategy” said, Dr Ochogwu.
In a series of presentation, coordinator of PARTNER Projects in the Institute, Steve Agbo said IPCR is in Lafia to train stakeholders on “how to use the digital instruments like the early warning application that have been developed and the toll-free lines that have been acquired as well as the SMS platform integrated with the early warning application to both report and conduct response.”
Agbo said “our focus is to ensure that there’s a coordination of the various early warning stakeholders from the community to the state level and of course those early warning response group at the state level are to coordinate and interface with the national early warning response group that have been established to enhance overall effectiveness of early warning system in Nigeria so we can achieve a sustainable peace in the country through effective conflict prevention”
On the institute’s expectation, the coordinator of PARTNER Projects at IPCR, Steve Agbo noted that “we want them to now effectively, having understood what these indicators are, and of course specific indicators with respect to Nasarawa state, to begin to send more of these conflict indicator reports to the situation room to ensure that we lower the level of violence and crime in Nasarawa state.”
The PARTNER project which has a span of five years is now in the third year and it has expanded to the tier two states made up of Nasarawa, Benue, Kano and Katsina respectively.
US President Donald Trump has asserted that he is not jesting about his ambitions for a third presidential term, despite the constitutional restrictions in place.
While the U.S. Constitution prohibits any individual from serving more than two four-year terms, Trump indicated that it is premature to delve into such considerations.
Having assumed office for his second, non-consecutive term on January 20, Trump has hinted at his desire for a third term, addressing the matter more directly in a telephone conversation with NBC News.
“No, I’m not joking. I’m not joking,” Trump reiterated, though he acknowledged, “it is far too early to think about it.”
He hinted at potential avenues to pursue this goal without providing specific details.
According to the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. presidents are limited to two terms, whether consecutive or not. To amend this constitutional provision would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress, followed by ratification from three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures.
Some of Trump’s allies have suggested the feasibility of extending his stay in the White House beyond 2028. Trump himself has alluded to this notion on multiple occasions, often in a manner that challenges his political adversaries. Should he pursue another term after the November 2028 election, he would be 82 years old, having previously made history as the oldest president at the time of his inauguration.
The tradition of limiting presidential terms was established by George Washington in 1796. This practice was largely followed for over 140 years until Franklin D. Roosevelt broke the norm by winning a third term in 1940. Roosevelt, who led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II, sadly passed away during his fourth term in 1945, leading to the enactment of the term limits amendment in 1951.
Steve Bannon, a long-time adviser to Trump, expressed in a March 19 interview with NewsNation his belief that Trump will indeed run again in 2028. Bannon noted that he and others are exploring ways to facilitate this ambition, including reviewing the definition of term limits. “We’re working on it,” he stated, underscoring the ongoing discussions surrounding Trump’s political future.
Traders in Lagos have voiced their concerns regarding the significant decline in food sales, particularly for pepper, attributing the downturn to rising prices and the diminished purchasing power of local residents.
In interviews conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), both traders and consumers shared their experiences regarding patronage as the Sallah celebration approaches.
Mr. Rabiu Zuntu, Chairman of the Tomato Growers and Processors Association of Nigeria (Kaduna chapter), linked the situation to the heightened prices of produce and the weakened purchasing capacity of consumers. He stated, “Pepper prices in the north are also steep, with a jumbo 50kg bag reaching as high as N150,000, compared to N60,000 to N70,000 just months ago. This price surge may adversely affect the Sallah festivities, as only a few consumers may afford these products.”
Zuntu further explained, “Currently, we are outside the pepper farming season. Insufficient rainfall has led to a scarcity of this commodity, with only a handful of farmers involved in irrigation. Many will resort to using dried pepper, which is more affordable during this time, although demand remains low. We anticipate an increase in demand as the celebration nears.”
Mrs. Mistura Balogun, a pepper vendor at Lawanson Market in Surulere, echoed these sentiments, noting the unusually low customer turnout. “It’s not just pepper that has become expensive; many other goods have seen price increases as well. Typically, this time of year should see a bustling market, but today is quite different. I have been at my stall since morning, and the number of customers is minimal,” she lamented.
Similarly, Mrs. Mojisola Gbadegesin, another pepper seller at Idi-Araba market, reported a stark decrease in patronage. “Despite the high prices, we usually see customers buying pepper, but this year is different. The market feels deserted, and business is sluggish,” she remarked.
Mrs. Judith Amen, also a foodstuff vendor, highlighted that the rising prices of pepper and other food items are likely to escalate further as the celebrations peak. “At the start of the week, a small bag of scotch bonnet pepper was priced at N70,000, and I expect prices to soar over the weekend due to Sallah. A good quality bag of rice is selling for N85,000, while lower-quality options range from N60,000 to N75,000. Although patronage is currently low, we anticipate an uptick a day before Sallah, but consumers will only purchase what they can afford,” she explained.
Mr. John Nwabueze, a trader in the Agege area, expressed frustration over the lack of customers as Eid celebrations begin. “Sales have been notably low, with people buying only what their budgets allow. The market has been unusually quiet, affecting all commodities, including rice. A 50kg bag of rice is priced between N76,000 and N78,000, yet sales remain sluggish this Sallah,” he noted.
Mrs. Amina Fakunle, a resident of the Alimosho area, remarked that the high cost of pepper would lead consumers to celebrate in a more subdued manner. “Just six pieces of pepper cost about N500, which is the lowest price available. With these prices, people will likely opt for a low-key celebration,” she stated.
Mr. David Oriafo, a resident of the Dopemu area, also commented on the lack of festive activity in the market. “I managed to purchase a few items for my family to save costs, but it’s evident that the usual festive buzz is missing. People are only buying what they can afford, much like myself,” he shared. (NAN)
A Nigerian boxer, Segun “Success” Olanrewaju, has died after slumping during a boxing match in Ghana.
The Secretary-General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Remi Aboderin confirmed the death of the boxer on Sunday.
The 40-year-old boxer, nicknamed “Success”, stumbled to the canvas while fighting Jon Mbanugu, a Ghanian, at Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League at Bukom Boxing Arena, Accra, on Saturday.
Olanrewaju was not punched or near his opponent when he collapsed violently in round three of the light-heavyweight bout.
The referee called the match immediately, and medical aid was ushered into the ring.
Olarenwaju died after he was rushed to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Ther boxer was a former West African and national light-heavyweight champion.
He competed in 24 bouts with 13 wins, eight losses, and three draws.
In 2022, Chukwuemeka Igboanugo, another boxer, also died after suffering a technical knockout (TKO) in a bout at the National Sports Festival (NSF) in Delta.
Igboanugo died after he took a fatal blow to the nose and did not survive the hit.