Written by Johnbosco Agbakwuru
Dr. Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, has emphasized that resilience and peace are the foundation of UK-Nigerian ties.
High-level government officials, security services, program partners, and leaders of civil society have gathered in Abuja for the first annual learning and adaptation event organized by Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria, or SPRiNG.
In order to examine evidence-based tactics for lowering violence, institutionalizing peace, and bolstering climate resilience throughout northern Nigeria, the event gathered together important players.
The two-day SPRiNG event, which was funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), offered a forum to evaluate the program’s advancement, test hypotheses against changing conflict and climate change dynamics, and incorporate lessons learned into future policy and program planning.
Dr. Montgomery, the British High Commissioner, and Major General A.G. Laka, the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Center, both gave keynote addresses.
The event brought to light a significant change in SPRiNG’s strategy: developing institutional institutions and stability mechanisms in place of ad hoc peace initiatives.
Speaking at the SPRiNG initiative launch, Montgomery stated that, in the face of international scrutiny, peace and resilience are “absolutely central” to UK-Nigerian relations.
“Given recent events and recent international commentary on Nigeria, I can’t think of any topic that is more topical,” he said.
“Nigeria is one of our important diplomatic partners,” Dr. Montgomery said, highlighting Nigeria’s growing influence. Nigeria’s influence will only increase, according to our ministers and ourselves.
Nigeria’s significance and impact will increase in the next decades if it continues to expand quickly and its population increases. For this reason, in 2024, our foreign secretaries inked the strategic partnership.
He described SPRiNG’s combination of “kinetic” and “non-kinetic” security measures while framing it inside the 2024 UK-Nigeria Strategic Partnership. It’s about giving Nigeria’s federal government’s official agencies institutional backing.
He emphasized that “it’s about building community-based initiatives, law enforcement, and community resilience,” and that “SPRiNG provides a vehicle, a platform, for partners to find catalytic support to find relationships that can promote these approaches.”
The keynote presentation and official event declaration were given by Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, Minister of Information and National Orientation, whose representative emphasized the significance of institutional cooperation and strategic communication for national stability.
Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development, and Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, joined him. They emphasized the connection between gender inclusion, agropastoral practices and livelihoods, and their contributions to national security.
Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, the SPRiNG Team Leader, stated in his context-setting presentation that the program’s strength is its “Evidence-driven and Adaptive Management” approach.
“Since conflict is dynamic, our solutions must be as well. Dr. Ukiwo stated, “Today was about validating the evidence and impacts of our intervention, learning from what, where, and how we are making progress, and ensuring that our support to various government and civil society partners, like the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security, BSCPR, and the Benue State Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, is not just reactive but structurally preventive.”
Under the direction of Kemi Okenyedo, a high-level team examined developments and chances to improve resilience and peace. Ms. Josephine Habba, DG of the Benue State Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, was one of the panelists who discussed interstate cooperation;
Ms. Lantana Abdullahi of WOPPI and Dr. Sulaiman Shuaibu of Kaduna State’s Ministry of Internal Security, who promoted the official inclusion of women in peace and security structures.
A Project Fair at the end of the event gave stakeholders a chance to speak with beneficiaries and implementing partners directly and learn about the useful “Peace Dividend” being provided to communities in the states of Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is funding the four-year SPRiNG Programme (2024–2028), which is carried out by Tetra Tech International Development in collaboration with Nextier SPD, Nextier, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD). The program’s objectives are to increase public trust in important institutions, strengthen institutional capacity for managing and responding to conflicts, and increase incentives for peace in Nigeria.
