This Day
The Rebuild Nigeria Initiative (RNI) is set to hold its first International Peace Dialogue in Antwerp, Belgium.
In a statement by the signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Lara Gureje-Oderinde, the Group’s Vice President, Collins Nweke, said the International Peace Dialogue for Nigeria will hold on Tuesday, 13 December 2022, at the Venerable Chapel of The Cathedral of Antwerp, Belgium. “The first of such consultative sessions was successfully launched with corporate Nigeria in Lagos on 17 November 2022.”
The statement said the dialogue which is hosted by the Catholic Bishop of Antwerp, Monsignor Johan Bonny, has attracted Nigerian experts and notable global figures in areas of peace dialogue and conflict resolution.
The President RNI and speaker at the event, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo said the group, “believes that facilitating peace dialogues at subnational, national, and international levels reinforces the importance of peace as a cornerstone of civil wellbeing, security, and politics and Socioeconomic prosperity. Peace is the panacea to the Nigeria of our dreams, just as justice and equity are the bedrocks of nationhood.
“Drawing from her years of experience in Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), RNI Executive Secretary, Dr Fatima Akilu opined that “With the mistrust, mutual suspicion, and division caused by Nigeria’s fault lines, it is difficult for growth and development to thrive. If unchecked quickly, retaining the current status quo practices can lead to the escalation of internal disagreements which could result in Nigeria total disintegration.”
Speaking on the goal of the Rebuild Nigeria Initiative, Nweke stressed that the group intends “to assemble all willing players, build a coalition of Non-State Actors to interrogate different aspects of securing and sustaining lasting peace from a global perspective. Our ambition is to reach a possible consensus on a common collaborative approach based on international best practices in conflict resolution adapted to the Nigerian realities.”
The statement said the topics that will be covered at the event include: the State of Peace in Nigeria, the Fault Lines of Peace in Nigeria, International Perspectives on Conflict Resolution, Interacting for Peace in Nigeria, amongst others.
The statement added that some of the speakers at the event are: Dr. Fatima Akilu- an expert in Countering Violent Extremism (CVE); Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, President, Rebuild Nigeria Initiative; Monsignor Johan Bonny, Catholic Bishop of Antwerp, Belgium; and Meyrem Almaci, foremost Belgian politician and expert on comparative cultures.
