Anambra State House of Assembly has passed into law, a bill to establish the Anambra State Peace Building and Conflict Management Agency 2024 and Other Related Matters.
This was a sequel to a motion moved for the bill to be read for the third time by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Ikenna Ofodeme following an extensive legislative process at the ‘Committee of the Whole’ during plenary on May 21.
The bill is to come into force immediately after it is assented to by the governor.
It seeks to foster peace and manage conflicts within the state with a harmonious environment for its residents, aligning with the governor’s broader agenda of infrastructure, economic transformation, security, and social cohesion.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, who presided over the plenary, highlighted the importance of the bill, saying that it would play a crucial role in preventing conflicts in the state.
Udeze had moved for the bill to be read the third time and passed while the lawmakers unanimously adopted it through voice votes.
Akpua, who is the Deputy Majority Leader of the House decried the situation where many people are wasted in Correctional Centers as a result of conflicts, adding that with the bill, there will be less litigation in court and inmates in prison.
Akpua, who is also the Chairman, of the House Committee on Lands, Survey, and Town Planning, posited that the agency would establish a broad mandate to promote peace and resolve conflicts through proactive measures, such as identification of potential sources of conflicts, mediation, and negotiation efforts, and the implementation of peacebuilding initiatives across various communities in Anambra State.
“I am happy today that the bill was read a third time and passed into law at the floor of the House. And in the next month, after it must have been assented to by the governor, it will be put into use.
“This bill covers every aspect of human life. Today, communities have issues like land issues, and families having problems, and this bill will address a lot of these problems in Anambra State. It will cover issues like land grabbing, family issues that will be settled on the round table”, he stressed.
