A peacebuilding think tank, Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro has declared that the world is on the verge of World War III, after Iran drops missiles on Israel in retaliation of the attack on its embassy without adequate response from United Nations Security Council. PeacePro said that, the escalation of crisis between Iran and Israel is an indication of a wider conflict. In a statement by the Executive Director, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, PeacePro said that the failure of United Nations to quickly provide adequate intervention is a signal the global body has effectively lost control of the…
Author: Abdulrazaq Hamzat
Following reports by several media outlets of an alleged Non Governmental Organization (NGO) recruiting and paying individuals to burn down Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in across North East Nigeria, a peace building think tank, Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro has called on the federal government of Nigeria to investigate the claim as well as put all international humanitarian NGOs operating in the country on close surveillance. PeacePro said that the news of an NGO recruiting and paying individuals and groups to commit act of terror in the most vulnerable place such as IDP camps is a…
Stage One: Emergence of a Problem: What is the problem here? The election of either Tinubu, Atiku or Obi as president of Nigeria. Here, the electorates in the country hear the news and are interested in it. Stage Two: Taking Sides: Nigerians begin to move towards one side or the other. Some are for Tinubu, some for Atiku, while others are for Obi. Here, more people form opinions and feel the need to get together with others with the same views. The conflict expands and each side gets more supporters. Stage Three: Positions Harden: People talk more with others who…
_Urges state govts to accelerate implementation_ A peacebuilding organization, Foundation for Peace Professional also known as PeacePro has commended the federal government of Nigeria for adopting mother tongue as language of instructions for students in primary schools across the country. PeacePro also stated that, expanding the concept of mother tongue, beyond the 3 major languages in Nigeria is a truly inclusive policy for national educational progression. In a statement by the executive director of PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the organization said that this policy is a welcome development because no truly advanced and developed nation attained such level of development educational…
On Tuesday, 2nd November, 2022, the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to a “permanent cessation of hostilities”, effectively ending ten days of negotiations – led by the African Union and a civil war that began in November 2020. Both parties in the conflict which has left over 600,000 dead and displaced millions in the northern region of Tigray, agreed to “orderly, smooth and coordinated disarmament” and “restoration of law and order” After the outbreak of civil war in Ethiopia in 2020, a Non Governmental Organization, Foundation for Peace Professional also known as PeacePro counsel…
Don’t write in clichés: Journalist doesn’t need to adopt the overused terms of tragedy to report conflict in other to make the story catchy. Don’t believe everything someone tells you under the guise of eye witness: Most narrators often do not narrate the true encounter, they simply re-echo the popular views they hear from others in the area. The opinion leaders are keen to generate interest in their perspective. They have a story to tell and they sell this perspective to the people, who then relay it to whoever they encounter. Don’t get things out of context: Every story has…
_Urges govt to establish enforcement unit across all schools in the state_ _1 in every 4 girl child is abused before the age of 18 in kwara state_ _School principals, teachers defiling multiple children, impregnating them and carrying out abortion_ _Young boys subjected to labour works on teachers private farms_ _Security agencies conniving to intimidate and subvert the course of justice_ A leading Pro-democracy group, Kwara Must Change has called on the government of Kwara State to immediately set in motion, modalities to implement the child right act, already domesticated in the state. Kwara Must Change also stated that,…
Urges state govt to support initiative Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) championing advocacy for release of unsentenced prisoners in Nigeria has commended the move by the federal government of Nigeria to free 30% of Nigerian prisoners. PeacePro has also advised the Federal Ministry of Interior, led by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to increase the percentage of consideration to from 30% to 70% in order to ensure a total overall of the correctional facilities, owing to the fact that more than 70% of inmates in the country are non-convicted prisoners. In a statement by the…
Prior to the discovery of crude oil, Nigeria was the home of the black oil, now known as the oil palm. In the 19th century, shortly after the end of slavery, a part of Nigeria, now known as Niger Delta was identified as the origin of oil palm and its people were killed in their thousands by the British invaders, just to have access to the black oil. This is the story of the first oil war, which was fought in the 19th century, in a small part of the area that eventually became Nigeria Historically, all through the 19th…
1. Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) reads with concern, the report of possible resignation of Director General of World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozie Okonjo Iweala by Bloomberg, a respected news medium. 2. The news report claimed that, seven months into her 4 1/2-year term, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has fully grasped the frustrating reality of the WTO’s historical inertia, even privately floating the idea of resigning if no headway can be found on critical issues and she allegedly, repeatedly told ambassadors and staff of WTO that she could easily walk away from the job. 3. Considering the recent history of WTO, in…
A leading Pro Democracy Group in Kwara State, Kwara Must Change has aknowledged the Kwara State Government’s effort in improving government accountability through transparency and open governance. The group particularly commended the state audit office for its citizens accountability report, which gives details of income, expenditure, progress, infraction aswell as areas without findings, such as assets, aids and grants, investment etc. In a statement by Convener of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group noted the impressive increase in capital expenditure in the year 2020 from 59% to 71% and reduction of recurrent expenditure from 41% to 29%, which indicated…
The social media engagement report by Abuja based digital research and communication outfit, Grand Plan has rated Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo Hashim as online most engaging presidential hopefuls in the country. The quarterly report, which was released over the weekend also revealed that, apart from the advocacy of Southern Governors Forum demanding for zoning to the south, presidential hopefuls from the region are not doing enough to engage the populace, unlike their counterpart from the north, who are aggresively communicating with the people, noting that the top four (4) most engaging presidential…
Before transition into a people’s government, through the otoge political revolution in 2019, the only thing most people outside the state of harmony knows about the state is its political godfatherism. Fortunately for Kwara, things are changing and the state’s national profile is taking a new look. In this past months, I have been traveling around the country, from Kogi, to Lagos, to Abuja. As you all know, we have been accostom to the popular saying that the world is a global village, but nothing reinforces such claim and brought it close to home like the experiences I had…
…Hail re-appointment of Amina Muhammed as Deputy A Nigerian based Non Governmental Organization and popular peacebuilding group, Foundation for Peace Professionals has congratulated United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Anthonio Guterres for his re-election as UN secretary-general and commended the UN boss for the re-appointment of Amina Muhammed as Deputy Secretary-General, noting that the first tenure of the duo witnessed complimentary team spirit. The group, which is also known as PeacePro urges Guterres to pursue reforms within the United Nations system that would enhance global collaboration in practice. In a statement by Executive Director of PeacePro, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat over the weekend,…
_Says only stronger action against kidnapping and banditry can win public confidence A Non-Governmental Organization and popular peacebuilding group, Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro has tasked the federal government of Nigeria to fully digitalize the security forces in the country in an effort to address the growing menace of kidnapping and banditry, noting that only digitally equipped forces can give the country leverage over kidnappers and bandits. The group maintained that quick digitalization of Nigerian security forces will allow them to take firm control within a very short period of time and with minimal men. This position…
The Executive Director of Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat has described climate change as the number one problem facing Nigeria and the world. Hamzat, who is a peacebuilding professional also noted that more than 50% of Nigeria’s security challenges started as a climate change problem. This position was made while delivering a paper titled “Climate Change is a Water Problem” during a webinar of World Environment Day hosted by International Human Rights Commission in Karachi, Pakistan. According to Hamzat, Nigeria is currently battling with many crisis, which include but not limited to insecurity. “But in…
Before independence in 1960, we are all aware of the 1914 amalgamation and the claim of lack of consent in the merging of the southern and northern protectorate. However, while the nation was preparing for independence, any region not pleased with the continuous stay in Nigeria had the opportunity of walking away before independence. The west could walk away and stay on its own. The east could do the same and so is the north. As a matter of fact, the north wanted to walk away, due to perceived incompatibility and it made this position known publicly, but the west…
Branding is propaganda, Marketing is propaganda and Public Relations is propaganda. In other words, propaganda is a nuetral concept that can be used either for good or for bad. The concept of propaganda has been used to advance the greatest course of humanity, it has also been used to advance its cruelest. Propaganda was used to set Africa free from colonialism, it was also used to pitch it against each other in war. Propaganda was used to de-market African spiritualism, it was also used to elevate African nationalism. If you see an African wearing suit during hot whether, that’s because…
No government is short of progressive and regressive forces within its folds. It doesn’t matter if it is in Nigeria or America. The fact is that, no matter how progressive a government claims to be, there are always regressive forces within it and no matter how regressive we think it is, there are always progressives within it and each of these forces would be struggling to drag government towards their direction. The question would therefore be that, which of these forces is making headway in its strive at driving government towards its direction? By progressive, I do not mean a…
An abandoned Lagos community, Orile Iganmu, ravaged by endemic poverty and insecurity has called on the Lagos State government, donor agencies and Non Governmental Organizations to come to its aid, in addressing the sustained community violence and insecurity occasioned by lack of opportunity and government presence in the area. Orile Iganmu community, designated as “threat to peace” in Lagos State in PeacePro’s January edition of State of Peace report, lamented government absence in the area, noting that almost all available infrastructures in the area were built with community contribution and the most basic needs from government, which is security presence…
