The Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Peter Ochogwu, has revealed that the Institute played a pivotal role in the conception of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, a key intervention that helped calm years of militancy and unrest in the oil-rich region.
Speaking on the podcast Conversations with Prof. Jideofor Adibe, Ochogwu lamented what he described as the Institute’s lack of recognition despite its significant contributions to peacebuilding and conflict management in Nigeria.
Click link to watch interview: https://www.youtube.com/live/3_zFoGH0YF8?si=33JKuQ6GVsATpn5z
According to him, the IPCR convened a high-level roundtable on the Niger Delta crisis during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The meeting, chaired by the then Minister of Defence, retired General T.Y. Danjuma brought together leading Niger Delta intellectuals and stakeholders for two days of closed-door deliberations.
“One of the major recommendations that emerged from that meeting was the introduction of an amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants as a way of reducing tensions and restoring peace in the region,” Ochogwu said.
The IPCR boss noted that the recommendation later provided a critical window of opportunity for the administration of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which subsequently implemented the Amnesty Programme to address grievances in the region and curb militancy.
Despite what he described as the Institute’s often overlooked achievements, Ochogwu said the IPCR has continued to record major milestones in advancing peace education and conflict resolution across the country.
He disclosed that the Institute has collaborated with the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and other partners to deepen peace studies in Nigeria.
As a result of the partnership, he said, Peace and Conflict Resolution has been incorporated into the curriculum of Nigerian universities, with undergraduates across the country now taking courses focused on promoting peace, dialogue and conflict management.
