By Uzairu Dauda:
The Team Lead of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Barr. Paul Andrew Gwaza, has described peace as a continuous process rather than a one-time event, stressing the need for sustained efforts to prevent and manage conflicts in communities.
Barr. Andrew Gwaza made the remark on the second day of a training workshop on crisis prevention and conflict mitigation services at the state level, the workshop was organized by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project and held at Pali Suite, Bauchi.
According to him, the peacebuilding process consists of four key stages; conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding to ensure lasting peace.
To illustrate his point, Gwaza cited the sustainable peace enjoyed along the Katsina–Maradi pastoral corridor between Nigeria and the Niger Republic.
He attributed the success to the consistent implementation of the full peacebuilding lifecycle and adherence to agreed peace mechanisms.
He further noted that Bauchi State, which shares boundaries with Kano, Plateau, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, and Yobe states, must strengthen its conflict prevention strategies.
Barrister Gwaza urged the state committee to conduct regular conflict analyses and ensure strict compliance with all peace agreements to promote stability across the region.
Also speaking at the workshop, Mrs. Carolina Omale of the IPCR delivered a presentation on conflict early warning and early response, encouraged members of the Bauchi State Committee on Conflict Prevention to promptly report emerging signs of conflict to the appropriate authorities to enable swift intervention.
Omale warned that delays in reporting early warning signals could allow tensions to escalate into avoidable crises.
She stressed that effective early response depends on timely information sharing, confidence in established reporting channels, and immediate action by relevant authorities.
Mrs Omale added that building trust among stakeholders and responding quickly to potential threats are essential to achieving sustainable peace and preventing conflicts from escalating.